On May 15, at 16:30, in the upstairs hall of the National Museum of History of Moldova, the exhibition "Czech Castles in the Heart of Moldova" will be inaugurated, organized in partnership with the National Museum of the Czech Republic and the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Chisinau.

This exhibition presents a selection of 11 of the most interesting castles and chateaux of Bohemia and Moravia, two of the historic areas that make up the Czech state. The criterion for the selection of the localities has been their historical significance as well as their architectural, artistic, and historical value. A prominent position is occupied by sites of European importance, including not only those already on UNESCO's list (Prague, Český Krumlov, Kroměříž, Lednice-Valtice Cultural Landscape) but also several other potential candidates (e.g. Karlštejn, Křivoklát, Jindřichův Hradec). This selection also includes impressive and romantic ruins (e.g. Bezděz), castles turned into imposing chateau-like residences (e.g. Hluboká nad Vltavou) and modern palaces surrounded by splendid parks (e.g. Jemniště, Lednice). The exhibition thus opens up the space to create a mosaic that informs us about selected cultural treasures and in part also about works of art and furnishings. We believe that the exhibition will provide not only an aesthetic experience and information but also motivation for a closer investigation into castles and chateaux, as well as an invitation to visit the Czech Republic.

The Czech Republic abounds in cultural treasures, among which castles and chateaux as historical residences of the social elite, of rulers, of the aristocracy, and of religious institutions attract special attention. Castles, fortified residences of the Middle Ages, were built from the twelfth to the early sixteenth century. In the modern era (from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century) they were replaced by comfortable and often sumptuously furnished chateaux. The fact that the Czech Republic ranks among the countries with the highest density of these remarkable buildings per square kilometer and that they are preserved in such an unusually authentic form gives us every right to call it a "country of castles and chateaux." Most accessible sites are managed by the National Heritage Institute or by various museums, towns, municipalities, and private persons, including descendants of the historic Czech noble families.

The exhibition "Czech castles in the heart of Moldova" can be visited between May 15 - June 16, 2024, in the upstairs hall of the National Museum of History of Moldova, Chisinau, 31 August 1989 street, 121A.