This year, the Grand Lodge of the Czech Republic (VLČR) is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its consecration. To mark the occasion, the members of the VLČR have organized the Freemasons exhibition, subtitled Freemasonry through the eyes of Freemasons, with the aim of giving the general public an overview of its history and an insight into its current activities. The exhibition will include a reconstruction of an installation by Alphonse Mucha called The Last Work, which was destroyed in WWII. The exhibition takes place at the New Town Hall in Prague from September 27th to November 26th, 2023.
“Freemasonry has been deeply rooted in the Czech, and earlier Czechoslovak, society for a whole century. During that time it has bridged many gaps, resisting the pressures of brown and red totalitarianism. It still remains, drawing on its rich history, being active in the present and looking to the future with confidence”, says the current Grand Master of the Order, Petr Komárek, on the occasion of the centenary.
This exhibition presents authentic Masonic objects and a replica of a Masonic Temple. This room, in which Masonic Lodges meet for ritual work, is prepared as authentically as possible, including Masonic symbols and objects such as the original stained glass window Moon, Delta, Sun. The exhibition also enables visitors to look into the “Chamber of Reflection”, a small room where candidates for entry into the Order prepare for their initiation.
In this extensive exhibition, and for the first time, all 28 active Lodges under the VLČR, from all over the Czech Republic, will present their rich histories and the important characters who made up their memberships. In addition to Prague, Lodges from Brno, Ostrava, Pilsen, Mariánské Lázně, Hradec Králové, Olomouc, České Budějovice and Ústí nad Labem are participating. In addition to Czech language, the Lodges include those operating in German, English, French, Italian and, since 2022, Spanish. For this reason the exhibition is bilingual, with all information and labels in Czech and English.
This exhibition has been prepared by the Freemasons in cooperation with the New Town Hall (NR) in Prague, and takes place in the NR’s seven gallery halls and Gothic basement spaces.
Exhibition dates: 27 September to 26 November 2023
Times: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (30‘ lunch break between 12-1.30 p.m.)
Location: Gallery on the ground floor and basement, Novoměstská radnice, Karlovo nám. 1/23, Prague 2.
Entrance fee: Full 149 CZK, reduced 80 CZK
More at www.100vlcr.cz and www.nrpraha.cz/program/1284/zednari
Media Contact: Libor Adamec, media@100vlcr.cz
