The reconstruction of the military museum has begun in Žižkov, Prague

The building housing the Military Historical Institute was constructed nearly 90 years ago. The necessity for its reconstruction has been discussed for several years. The museum was closed to the public last year, and the collections were moved to new deposit areas in Lešany near Prague. Following that, clearing works took place. According to the Military Historical Institute, the reconstruction will be the first significant transformation of the museum in its history.

Its basic idea is to maximize the museum's exhibition space, stated the Military Historical Institute in a press release. As a result, the deposit areas will be eliminated, the museum's courtyard will also be covered, and a new entrance with visitor facilities will be constructed in the basement under the courtyard. According to earlier forecasts, the modifications are expected to be completed in 2020.

The construction was commenced with a ceremonial laying of the foundation stone, using a historical hammer that the first Czechoslovak president Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk used to tap the foundation stone when the construction of the building began in 1928. The hammer is part of the collections of the Military Historical Institute.

The ceremony was attended by Minister of Defense Lubomír Metnar (for ANO), Chief of General Staff Aleš Opata, and Director of the Military Historical Institute Aleš Knížek. "This concludes a period of demanding negotiations and extensive preparations for this project," the minister noted. He remarked that the building had been classified among institutions that should undergo a basic reconstruction as early as 2000. He described the start of repairs in the 100th anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia as symbolic.

Director of the Military Historical Institute Knížek stated that the expansion of the museum's exhibition space will allow for a dignified commemoration of all who fought for national independence, as well as a comprehensive presentation of Czech military history from the Middle Ages to the present foreign missions of the Czech army. "For the first time since 2002, when exhibition space was lost in the Schwarzenberg Palace in Hradčany, visitors will have the opportunity to see hundreds of collection items that have been forcibly resting in the deposit areas of the Military Historical Institute Prague," he added. According to him, the project for the future form of the museum "very thoughtfully combines conservative museology with a modern approach, placing the main emphasis on the exhibited unique items, which are complemented by audiovisual elements."