The exhibition Prague – Vienna – Connections

The exhibition “Prague – Vienna – Connections”  is currently ongoing at the Clam-Gallas Palace in the Old Town.

This extensive exhibition, spread over twenty palace halls and cabinets, remarkably compares the developments of two Central European capitals over a long historical period, from their origins in the early Middle Ages to the present day. More than 80 text and image panels, period views, maps, plans, portraits, and around 40 originals or facsimiles of historical manuscripts, documents, patents, seals, medals, and publications document the historical development of Prague and Vienna from the 1st to the 21st century and map the history of their mutual relations. The core of the exhibition consists of 60 three-dimensional models of architectural complexes and individual buildings of Prague and Vienna, supplemented by several virtual reconstructions of important structures.

The exhibition presents chronologically the beginnings of both cities and the first phase of their shared history under the rule of the Czech king Přemysl Otakar II (1241–1278). It demonstrates the dominance of the Czech metropolis during the reign of Emperor Charles IV and again during Emperor Rudolf II’s rule, when the Danube residence of the Habsburgs followed the Prague model (in the founding of the university, construction of the cathedral, reception of cultural influences, exchange of artists and scholars). It captures the transformation that occurred after the unsuccessful uprising of the Czech estates (1618–1620) and the end of the Thirty Years’ War (1618–1648), when Prague, on the contrary, found itself in the shadow of Vienna as the main and residential city of the absolutist Habsburg monarchy. The dazzling rise and splendor of imperial Vienna in the 18th century contrasted with the stagnation and provincialization of Prague, which suffered from the War of the Austrian Succession and was relegated to the status of the capital of only one of the many Habsburg lands.

The heart of the exhibition lies in capturing the similarities and differences of major modernization processes that transformed Baroque and Rococo Vienna and medieval and Baroque Prague into modern metropolises during the second half of the 19th century and the first third of the 20th century. Both cities experienced waves of the industrial revolution, suburban urbanization, the building of technical infrastructure, sanitation, and hygienization of old quarters. Finally, visitors have the opportunity to compare the different paths taken by these two Central European metropolises through the political upheavals of the 20th century as well as the urban and architectural transformations they underwent. These transformations addressed similar challenges, such as the redesign of transport networks, housing crises, the shift to industrial and panel construction, and eventually the transition from quantitative growth to new concepts of healthy and sustainable living environments and the threshold of the “smart cities” of the 21st century.

The exhibition, held as part of this year’s celebrations of Czech-Austrian cultural relations and international cooperation between the capitals of Prague and Vienna, was scheduled to officially open on Tuesday, September 17. However, the ceremonial vernissage and related events were disrupted by a natural disaster. At the very hours when the events were to take place, a flood wave peaked in the territories of both the Czech Republic and Austria, devastating the landscape, property, and human lives. Under these circumstances, it was certainly inappropriate to celebrate anything, and the Czech and Austrian cultural communities understandably had other priorities than commemorating a millennium of mutual relations. Despite these adverse circumstances, the exhibition—prepared in cooperation with numerous Prague memory institutions and with the collaboration of Viennese partners—deserves attention from both Prague residents and visitors to the capital. Only in this way can it fulfill its mission—to become an impetus for a deeper understanding of the long shared tradition and the unmistakable cultural affiliation of these two close Central European capitals.

Assoc. Prof. Václav Ledvinka

Exhibition dates: September 17 – October 24, 2024
Venue: Clam-Gallas Palace, Husova 158/20, 110 00 Prague 1 – Old Town
Organized by: Czech Architecture Week in cooperation with the Museum of the Capital City of Prague
Curators: Václav Ledvinka, Pavla Státníková, Martina Koukalová, Vladimír Šlapeta
Expert collaborators: Albert Wimmer, Andrea Glatz, Denise Quistorp, Helmut Selzer, Ivana Hekerle, Jakub Kunert, and Peter Prokop
Architectural and graphic design: Daniel Perogordo Madrid, Vladimír Šlapeta, Barbora Solperová – Titty, s.r.o.
Loaned exhibits and institutional cooperation: Architekturzentrum Wien, Archive of the Capital City of Prague, Albert Wimmer ZT GmbH, CIRA Advisory, Czech National Bank, Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Civil Engineering CTU, Institute of Planning and Development of the Capital City of Prague, Museum of Architecture and Design (Ljubljana), Museum of the Capital City of Prague, National Theatre, National Gallery Prague, National Library of the Czech Republic, National Museum – Historical Museum, National Technical Museum, Austrian Cultural Forum Prague, Austrian Embassy in Prague, Regional Museum in Jílové u Prahy, Prague Castle Administration, Austrian National Library, City of Vienna

The project is realized with the financial support of the City of Prague.