A hundred years since the founding of Czechoslovakia will be celebrated in Brno at the exhibition grounds

Brno - Next year, residents of Brno will be able to celebrate one hundred years since the founding of Czechoslovakia at the Brno Exhibition Centre and in the streets of the city. Brno has endorsed the project Re:public 1918-2018, which will include exhibitions recalling the history of the state, various fields of human activity, and significant personalities, as well as cultural events, Mayor Petr Vokřál (ANO) said today at a press conference. The celebrations will take place from June 1 to 17.

Simultaneously, the 90th anniversary of the opening of the exhibition centre will be celebrated. It was established to host an exhibition marking the tenth anniversary of the independent state.

The creative director of the project is Pavel Anděl. "We want to present Brno as a confident, free-spirited, brave, and proud city, where timeless and unique works were created, innovative personalities influenced the scene, and where fundamental socio-cultural topics are discussed," Anděl stated. The project aims to reach not only people from Brno and the surrounding area but from the entire republic, and visitors from abroad are also expected. According to Vokřál, between 200,000 and 300,000 people could attend the celebrations.

The celebration will have three pillars. The first of them is its own program. "The exhibition will relate to history, but it will not be a traditional exhibition of objects. Using modern technologies such as interactive screens, 3D films, and virtual reality, a digital encyclopedia of the state's history will be created. People will find texts, photos, images, videos, and audio recordings in it," Anděl said. Another part of the program will be the Avant Garde exhibition, showcasing the best of contemporary architecture and design. "Some parts will be interactive. People will get to try glass melting, porcelain making, or designing clothing," Anděl described. The last part will be a relaxation zone. "It will be a sports and recreation area where people can try various sports as they appeared in history. They will play tennis with wooden rackets or ride on old roller skates. We would also like to prepare replicas of historical jerseys," Anděl stated.

The second pillar consists of associated events. "We will connect with Brno institutions that are eager to prepare something to expand the celebration. The National Theatre in Brno is planning a dance festival of ensembles from the successor republics of the Habsburg monarchy. The traditional Meeting Brno will also join," Anděl noted. An exhibition of industry and design Made in Czechoslovakia is also set to be part of the event. "It will provide an overview of the industrial history of the country. We are currently negotiating with the Ministry of Industry to see if they would contribute to or even organize the event themselves," said Jiří Kuliš, managing director of Veletrhy Brno.

The final pillar is called Brno as a host city. "We are reaching out to the people of Brno. We want them to sit down with family albums, talk with their grandparents, recall memories, and share those memories with us. We can then work creatively with them. We want to engage all generations in the celebrations," Anděl stated.

The city will allocate 50 million crowns for the celebrations. "The government has not yet taken a stance on this, but I believe that this is such an exceptional event that it should also contribute. We are negotiating with the regional government, and we will see if the Slovak government will contribute as well. We will also negotiate with commercial entities. The overall scope of the celebrations will ultimately depend on the size of the budget," Vokřál stated.