The National Pedagogical Museum and Library of J. A. Comenius
Admission fee:
Free
The exhibition focuses on the fates of children and adolescents during one of the most tragic periods in Czech history—the era of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The broader timeframe of 1939–1947 allows the exhibition to cover not only the period of Nazi occupation but also the years immediately following the end of the war.
Although the end of hostilities in May 1945 marked the cessation of military operations and the dissolution of the Protectorate, for many children it did not signify the end of suffering. On the contrary, many of them had to come to terms with trauma, the loss of loved ones, or changed social conditions only after the war. The aim of the exhibition is to illustrate the complexity of the situation at the time and to show how profoundly history influenced the lives of ordinary people.
The exhibition reveals how the totalitarian regime sought, through ideology, education, and propaganda, to re-educate or physically eliminate selected social groups. The emphasis is primarily on the persecution of children and the disruption of their daily lives, whether through the interruption of their education, the propaganda pressure to which they were subjected, or the Holocaust itself and internment in Nazi camps.
At the same time, however, the exhibition also addresses postwar aid to children. The exhibition explores these experiences through three archetypal characters—a Czech, a Jewish, and a German child. Each offers visitors their own perspective on the events of the time and a distinct experience of the war and its consequences.
The exhibition is complemented by interactive elements that allow visitors to better understand the era and, by completing various tasks, to experience certain situations from the perspective of children at that time. Visitors can also look forward to authentic objects from the Protectorate and postwar periods—toys, books, textbooks, clothing, medical equipment, and items from UNRRA.
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The National Pedagogical Museum and Library of J. A. Comenius
