IPR was tasked with mapping where Prague could place the epic

Prague - The Institute of Planning and Development (IPR) has been tasked with preparing an analysis of places where the Slav Epic by Alfons Mucha could be permanently installed in Prague by the end of the year. The Prague council assigned this task to IPR today. The options include a new building as well as a return to Moravia. Mayor Adriana Krnáčová met tonight with Brno Mayor Petr Vokřál (both ANO) regarding the placement of the large canvases. According to him, the epic was significant for the entire region, not just for Moravský Krumlov. The city districts are also proposing placement in a new building.

"We don't want to decide from the table, but we need the study including the financial costs of the various options," the mayor said to reporters after the evening meeting. Mucha donated the canvases to Prague on the condition that a respectable exhibition hall would be built for them. However, that did not happen. The epic was displayed for years at the castle in Moravský Krumlov, from where it was relocated by Prague in 2012 amidst significant media attention.

According to Krnáčová, the paintings could also return there for a certain period if the city created suitable conditions for them. According to Moravský Krumlov Mayor Tomáš Třetina (TOP 09), the spaces in the castle, which the city newly owns, meet the conditions of the National Heritage Institute. "It would be possible to lend the epic under certain conditions to other cities as well. After all, that was its purpose," Krnáčová said to ČTK.

That is why the Brno mayor came to Prague to negotiate. "Moravský Krumlov has long been the hosting castle for the Slav Epic and it has great significance for the entire region," Brno Mayor Vokřál told reporters. According to Vokřál, the city has almost a parental relationship with the works. The next meeting will also include the mayor of Moravský Krumlov.

The epic is currently provisionally placed in the Veletržní Palace, where it will be on display until the end of this year. After that, it will embark on a tour of Asia, which some experts and the painter's relative John Mucha criticize. However, the mayor dismisses their concerns, stating that works by more famous painters are also lent out. When the piece will return to the Czech Republic is still uncertain.

Among the locations being considered for the new gallery are the hill Vítkov and the site of the former so-called Eliška's Baths. Both places are proposed by the relevant city districts. The mayor had previously stated that a new gallery could be built in the metropolis. The cycle of canvases depicting Slavic mythology is included on the list of cultural monuments.