Prague Opens Exhibition Marking the 100th Anniversary of the Museum of Ukraine’s Liberation Struggle — One of the First Major Ukrainian Museum Projects in Europe
Czech Republic exhibition for 100th anniversary of Ukrainian museum
This event on May 31, 2025, became a symbolic start of the public activities of the Republican Foundation of Ukraine (officially reorganized into the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation in July 2025).
The Foundation began its international cultural mission by signing a memorandum of cooperation with the Ukrainian Institute in Prague, which provides for systematic promotion of Ukrainian culture, language, and historical memory. As announced by the Foundation’s Chairman Artem Mykolaichuk, the exhibition is “not only a tribute to culture but also the beginning of our work in the Czech Republic.”
The anniversary exhibition is open in the historic gallery Vrtbovská zahrada and will run throughout June. It features unique archives from the Museum of Ukraine’s Liberation Struggle, created by Ukrainian emigrants after the defeat of the national liberation revolution of 1917-1921. The exhibition combines artworks, documents, and artifacts about the current war for Ukraine’s independence.
Ukraine’s Ambassador to the Czech Republic Vasyl Zvarych emphasized that “memory is the foundation of our identity, which Moscow is once again trying to destroy today.” Director of the Ukrainian Institute in Prague Rostyslav Prokopiuk called the exhibition “a bridge between generations and evidence of the resilience of Ukrainian traditions.”
Czech Senator Zdeněk Nytra participated in the opening, noting that such cultural diplomacy strengthens the allied relations between our peoples. Meanwhile, Pylyp Orlyk Foundation representative Yaryna Yasynevych emphasized that Ukrainian artworks saved after the bombing of Prague in 1945 have until recently remained little-known to both Ukrainian and Czech audiences.
The Foundation’s plans include creating a map of “Ukrainian Places in Prague”, conducting educational programs about the Holodomor, teaching Ukrainian language to Czechs, and popularizing Ukrainian history in academic and public spaces.
