The leadership of Prague 2 wants Mucha's epopée at the Vyšehrad train station

Prague - The Prague 2 municipality wants to create exhibition spaces for Alfons Mucha's Slav Epic in the dilapidated Vyšehrad railway station. CTK was informed today by the municipality's spokesperson Ilona Chaloupská. Prague 2 has long been trying to acquire the Art Nouveau station building as part of its property. The leadership of Prague has also identified three properties owned by the city where Mucha's epic could be placed and is also negotiating with the owners of the castle in Zbraslav.

The cycle of paintings consists of 20 large canvases, which Mucha painted from 1910 over the course of 18 years and dedicated them to Prague. They are currently located in storage. The paintings inspired by Slavic mythology and the history of the Czech nation have been included on the list of cultural monuments since 2010.

"Unfortunately, the building is still deteriorating and this is partly happening possibly because its future use after a potential purchase is unclear. Therefore, Prague 2 proposes that the beautiful Art Nouveau building become the home for the Art Nouveau treasure - Alfons Mucha's Slav Epic," stated Mayor Jana Černochová (ODS).

"The location of the Vyšehrad railway station in the center of the metropolis speaks not only in favor of placing the Slav Epic there, but also its relatively good transport accessibility, both by public transport and by train once the Výtoň train stop is built," the municipality stated in a press release.

The Vyšehrad railway station belongs to a private owner. The operation of the station has been suspended and at the moment, its restoration is not allowed under current regulations, as the station cannot be on a curve. New houses were planned to be built in the area, but no decision has yet been made on their potential construction.

The leadership of Prague has also identified three properties owned by the city where Alfons Mucha's Slav Epic could be placed. Councilor Hana Třeštíková (Prague Sobě) has not yet wanted to reveal which buildings these are. The city is also negotiating with the owners of Zbraslav Castle and is discussing a possible loan of the canvases with Moravský Krumlov. There, the paintings were exhibited from the 1950s until 2011. However, the exhibition spaces for the epic must meet strict standards to avoid damaging the canvases.