Historical Building of Museum of Cieszyn Silesia Opens Its Gates

STYLE expozice v prvním patře, o devět let později ji nahradila stálá výstava přibližující návštěvníkům historicko-etnografický vývoj Těšínska v průběhu staletí. Expozice byla uzavřena kvůli plánované rekonstrukci celého objektu v srpnu 1998. Z důvodu nevyjasněných majetkoprávních vztahů byl však tento záměr přerušen a k obnově historické výstavní budovy již nedošlo. Za poslední 2 roky, kterým předcházelo zpracování studií, projektů, ale i soudních jednání, se podařilo historickou budovu muzea zrekonstruovat a připravit pro veřejnost moderní a interaktivní expozici, která představí i mnohé dosud nevystavené sbírkové předměty. Děkuji Vám za rozhovor. Historical Building of Museum of Cieszyn Silesia Opens Its Gates Lukáš Curylo, CEO and statutory representative of the philanthropic organisation Charita ČR, currently works as Deputy Governor of the Moravian-Silesian Region for Culture and Heritage Sights. He is interested in culture as a professional as well as a musician in a band. Culture has recently fallen into dire straits not only in our region, therefore we find the opening of the Museum of Cieszyn Silesia (Muzea Těšínského Slezska) a most significant event which will help revive the cultural calendar of programmes. Mr Curylo, the historical building of the museum has come to life again after some 20 years. Introduce our readers to the renewals of the building, and tell us what they bring to the visitors of the museum. The vast renovation project has been finished, the interiors are fully furnished, and new expositions with a range of multimedia features have been installed. Some construction work has also been done in the courtyard, where a new mini amphitheatre and stone collection with more exhibits are located. The public is invited to see the interiors as well as enjoy the museum grounds. This will undoubtedly make the offer of events and services more attractive. I am very happy that with this huge project we have succeeded in renewing most historical elements n the building and preserved its atmosphere while keeping the current requirements of such an institution in operation. The entire facility is barrier-free. This is probably one of the most important investments of the Moravian-Silesian Region. The total cost of the project is nearly 112 million Czech crowns. I can say that no room will remain idle: even the attic is designed for various programmes to take place in there. It contains a lecture hall and a studio for educational museum programmes, and much more. What does the exposition focus on? How will it contribute to the cultural potential of Cieszyn Silesia? The new exposition introduces the history of Cieszyn Silesia from prehistory to recent years, and will present a deep dive into the life of the local population throughout the past. It will present visitors with a varied history of the region, its landscapes and environment, material culture and habits connected to this particular region. Visitors will be taken on a historical tour from the origins of coal mining to the rule of the counts of House Piast through the World Wars. The museum library, situated on the ground floor, is also brand new. The opening ceremony took place on June 19, 2020, during the Festival of Three Brothers. This year we also celebrate the 100th anniversary of the foundation of Czech Cieszyn (Český Těšín), therefore visitors may expect our main exposition to be supported by our first short-term exhibition dedicated to this significant event. Not only the museum exposition but the building itself is historical: will you introduce that, too? The historical building of the Museum of Cieszyn Silesia is situated on Main Street in Český Těšín, and it contains four floors of exhibition grounds, a research centre, a studio for educational museum programmes, a lecture hall, and much more. We even found good use for the courtyard which will serve children and all the public, not just for educational purposes. The large building was designed by Alois Jedek, an architect from Těšín, and built in 1885–1886 as a privately owned townhouse. It is the most stylish building in the city centre with an ornate façade, balconies lined by a stone balustrade, arched passages with plaster decorations, and countless other elements from the neoclassical style. In 1951, the Museum of Cieszyn Silesia acquired part of the ground floor facilities and used them as a depository and for exhibits of the history of the region. In 1967, a new exposition was opened on the first floor, being replaced nine years later with a permanent exposition of the historical-ethnographic evolution of the Těšín region over the centuries. The exposition was closed due to renovations throughout the whole premises, planned from August 1998. However, the renovation didn’t happen then, and due to unclear property relations, the project was halted and the historical exhibition building was not refurbished. In the past two years, preceded by design studies and projects, and also court hearings, the historical building has finally been renovated to house a modern, interactive exposition to introduce exhibits which have never been displayed before. Thank you for the interview. Otázky připravil: Vít Ruprich Foto: archiv MSK www.msk.cz POSITIV 2/2020 ǀ 103