Retro exhibition: flashback to Czech history
At the Retro exhibition in Prague’s National Museum visitors can take a look at the old clothes, toys, technologies and household equipment which older generations used to wear, play with and use. Most exhibits date back to the period between the end of World War I and the Velvet Revolution.
Immerse yourself in the old times and find out what the former Czechoslovakia looked like. At the Retro exhibition you can see chronologically arranged sets of vintage clothes, shoes, women’s handbags and hats. They are not only by famous fashion designers but also from boutiques or ready-to-wear.
Retro is not only about fashion. This exhibition displays also toys and commodities of the Czech companies which have until now followed the tradition of the so called First Republic (Czechoslovakia between the First and the Second World Wars). We can therefore compare what products like Granko, Vitana or Prestige shoes looked like in the 19th or 20th century and today.
The backdrops of this section make use of photographs from famous old movies such as Kristián which present the exhibits in real-life situations. There are also period posters and even contemporary sets of designer furniture or dishes. The experience is intensified by the accompaniment of matching music recordings.
The second part of the exhibition is interactive ‒ a large retro playroom with vintage board games, toys, music memorabilia and various items of household equipment.
The public can also take part in special “Retro days” and “Retro dancing lessons”. Curators have also devised several lectured programs for school classes.
This exhibition lasts until 30th April. While in the National Museum’s new building visitors can also explore other exhibits: “Noah’s Ark” emphasizes the necessity of preserving biodiversity, painter Jiří Sozanský’s Jan Palach-themed artifacts commemorate the student’s tragic deed, and displayed entries submitted in the competition of designs for Jan Palach’s monument in his childhood house remind us of the student’s ultimate self-sacrifice in the broader context of the socialist Czechoslovakia.
Text vznikl v rámci kurzu Angličtina pro žurnalisty Kabinetu jazykové přípravy.
Foto credit: iDNES.cz
