The reconstruction of the new headquarters of the Museum of Memory of the 20th Century is set to be completed in September

Prague - The reconstruction of the new headquarters of the Museum of Memory of the 20th Century in the House of Pages on Kanovnická Street in Prague's Hradčany should be completed by the end of September. The exhibition opening is planned for next year. The museum is currently waiting for Prague councilors to announce the tender for its contractor. ČTK was informed by the museum's director, Petr Blažek. The permanent exhibition will be dedicated to the history of the 20th century and is intended to be interactive and playful to engage schoolchildren. The Museum of Memory of the 20th Century is a registered institution, founded by the capital city of Prague.

"The reconstruction should finish by the end of September. After that, the approval process will follow, which may take three weeks or even three months. But as soon as it's completed, we would like to move in and operate the building as a cultural center focused on history," said Blažek. The museum aims to host debates, exhibitions, conferences, and concerts in the new building. It also plans to cooperate with schools.

The permanent exhibition is expected to open during the next year. According to Blažek, the municipality is currently preparing a competition for the contractor. "In mid-April, the press was ready, but it has not yet been approved. We had some meetings, and they asked us to supplement some documents. The Department of Culture is preparing it," added Blažek.

The exhibition is designed to be interactive and playful to attract schoolchildren. The museum expects that school groups will be frequent visitors. Among other things, it will include a replica of an interrogation room. It is intended to allow visitors to empathize with the situation of the victims of the communist regime. The House of Pages will also feature a lecture hall for 80 people, a library, a recording room for podcasts, a research room, a reception, and a souvenir shop.

The reconstruction of the House of Pages began in January 2024. It was originally scheduled to be completed in the spring of this year, but work was delayed due to archaeological research. The reconstruction is expected to cost 70 million crowns. In the past, the building housed an orphanage, daycare, kindergarten, and a youth technical station. Since the 1970s, it has been home to the municipal department of the chief architect.

The establishment of the museum was approved by Prague councilors in September 2019 and was formally established on November 17, 2019, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution.