20.7.2020

"Czech Republic - Land of castles and palaces" Touring exhibition at the Silversmithing Museum

The Piraeus Bank Group Cultural Foundation (PIOP) in a collaboration with the Czech Centre Athens, presents as of Saturday, July 18 the exhibition "Czech Republic - Land of castles and palaces" at the Silversmithing Museum in Ioannina.

The Czech Republic hs a country full of important cultural treasures. They include castles and palaces that served as the residences of the social elite of leaders and nobles or as religious institutions. The castles, the fortified adobes of the middle ages, were built between the 12th and the 16th century. From the 16th to the 19th century they were replaced by comfortable and often luxuriously furnished palaces. The Czech Republic is justifiably called "land of castles and palaces"; it is among the countries with the largest number of such edifices, which to a large extent have retained their original form. Most are open to the public. They are managed by the National Heritage Institute and various museum societies, municipal authorities and private individuals, including descendants of historical Czech noble families.

Through photographs and explanatory texts, the exhibition presents some of the most interesting castles and palaces in Bohemia and Moravia, two historical regions of the Czech Republic. Among them are famous sites of particular significance in European history, such as those included in UNESCO's World Heritage List (the Prague Castle, Český Krumlov, Kutná Hora, Litomyšl, Kroměříž, the cultural landscape of Lednice-Valtice, Telč). Also included are spectacular fortresses (Rabí) and romantic ruins (Bezděz, Trosky), castles that were converted into palace-residences (Hluboká nad Vltavou, Vranov nad Dyjí), and more modern palaces surrounded by splendid parks (Veltrusy, Jemniště, Buchlovice, Lednice, others).

The exhibition, curated by the National Museum of Prague (1818), introduces the public to selected cultural treasures and the works of art and furniture that adorn the castles and palaces. It is a great experience for the senses, that can operate as an incentive for further research and an "open invitation" to visit the Czech Republic.

The exhibition runs from July 18 to August 31, 2020

Opening times: Daily except Tuesdays, 10:00-18:00

Closed on August 15

Entry is free of charge

Silversmithing Museum
Its Kale Acropolis, Ioannina Castle, 452 21 Ioannina
Tel: 26510 64065 | www.piop.gr