Praha 3 will cancel the foundation for the placement of the Slav Epic at Vítkov

Prague - The leadership of Prague 3 plans to abolish a foundation that was supposed to support the construction of exhibition spaces for the placement of Alfons Mucha's Slav Epic at Vítkov. This was stated by the deputy mayor of the district, Štěpán Štrébl (Pirates). According to him, the foundation, established in 2016, has not engaged in any activities. There is about 190,000 crowns left in it, which the district wants to transfer to the Association for the Slav Epic in Prague.

The foundation was created at a time when the then leadership of Prague 3 advocated for a new exhibition space dedicated solely to Mucha's famous cycle to be built on Vítkov Hill. The painter bequeathed the paintings to the capital city with the condition that such a space would be constructed, but that has not happened. The city is now considering several options for where it could place the cycle; in the meantime, it will lend it to Moravský Krumlov for five years.

According to Štrébl, it makes no sense for the foundation established by Prague 3 to continue functioning because it is essentially dead. Moreover, he stated that the current city hall leadership does not plan to actively advocate for the epic to end up specifically on Vítkov. The deputy mayor added that to abolish the foundation, it was necessary to amend its founding document, which the municipal council did last week. According to his statement, the mayor Jiří Ptáček (TOP 09) also supports this step.

According to the amended document, the municipal assembly can now dismiss members of the supervisory board and elect new ones, whose task will, according to Štrébl, be merely to send the organization into liquidation. The deputy mayor added that this more complicated procedure was chosen by the city hall leadership because the management board will remain in office for another two years. In the case of the previously abolished Jaroslav Foglar's Quick Arrows Foundation, the city hall proceeded by submitting a request to the association court, which dissolved the foundation for inactivity.

The law stipulates that in the case of the liquidation of a foundation, the remaining funds will be paid to a legal entity established for the same or a similar purpose. In this case, it is the Association for the Slav Epic in Prague.

The cycle of paintings consists of 20 large canvases, which Mucha painted over 18 years starting in 1910 and bequeathed to Prague. Since 2010, the epic has been a cultural monument. The paintings are currently in the depositary of the Gallery of the Capital City (GHM), and they should head to the castle in Moravský Krumlov at the beginning of next year. For permanent placement, the Prague magistrate is considering several locations, such as Pankrácké náměstí, the Savarin Palace in Prague 1, or the ice warehouse in Braník. In the past, a number of ideas have emerged about where to place the canvases, such as the Exhibition Ground, Těšnov, or Letná.

The first 11 canvases of the epic were exhibited in 1919 at the Prague Clementinum, and from 1920 to 1921, the epic achieved success in New York and Chicago. The entire epic was first exhibited in 1928 at the Trade Fair Palace in Prague and the paintings came under the administration of GHMP. In 1933, the canvases were placed in storage. In 1963, they were exhibited again at the castle in Moravský Krumlov. In 2011, the paintings were taken away by the then leadership of Prague.