The adjustments to the castle are culminating, the Slavic Epic will arrive at the turn of the year

Moravský Krumlov - The Slav Epic by Alfons Mucha is expected to arrive in Moravský Krumlov around the turn of the year. The adjustments to the gallery section in the local castle, which are necessary for the exhibition, will be completed by the end of October. In November, city representatives will initiate a trial operation, said Mayor Tomáš Třetina (TOP 09) to ČTK.

"In the fall, we will finalize the loan agreement and the spaces with the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague. As soon as everything is in order, we will move. We have already installed the heating system, gallery lighting, and air conditioning in the gallery section in the eastern wing. We must meet all conditions, such as a twenty-degree temperature or fifty percent humidity," Třetina stated.

Repairs to the southern wing of the castle will last until next year. However, according to Třetina, construction work will not hinder the exhibition.

Starting Thursday, people can view a collection of photographs at the municipal office that document the creation and journey of the Slav Epic. The exhibition will last at least until November and will be free. The opening will also be attended by the painter's grandson, John Mucha.

The paintings are currently in the storage of the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague. Last October, Prague approved the loan of the cycle for five years to the castle in Moravský Krumlov, where the paintings were exhibited until 2011. During the loan period, the issue of the missing space in Prague should be resolved.

However, the future of the Epic in Prague is uncertain. The District Court for Prague 1 will reconvene next Wednesday to discuss the lawsuit by John Mucha, who claims that Prague never became the owner of the paintings because it failed to meet the author's condition of building separate exhibition spaces for the canvases.

The cycle consists of 20 large canvases that Mucha painted over 18 years, starting in 1910, and dedicated to Prague. The entire epic was first exhibited in 1928 at the Trade Fair Palace in Prague, and the paintings came under the management of the Gallery of the Capital City of Prague. In 1933, the canvases were placed in storage. In 1963, they were exhibited at the castle in Moravský Krumlov. However, after 1989, the castle fell into disrepair. In 2011, the then leadership of Prague had the paintings removed.