Permanent exhibition

Muzeum připravuje stálou výstavní expozici ve svém budoucím sídle v Domě pážat, jejíž časové a ideové zaměření vychází ze zakládací listiny muzea a jeho orientace. Úspěšné řešení tohoto projektu předpokládá souběžnou celkovou adaptaci budovy, kterou zajišťuje hl. m. Praha jako její vlastník. Vzhledem k omezenému rozsahu budou do výstavních projektů zapojeny nejen vhodné prostory v Domě pážat v přízemí, ale také další části budovy (sklep, nádvoří, zahrada, 1. patro a půda). V sídle muzea budou rovněž kombinovány vzdělávací a vědecké aktivity.

Zastupitelstvo hl. města Prahy schválilo umístění  sídla a expozice Muzea paměti XX. století v Domě pážat v červenci 2020. Na konci roku 2020 byla podepsána nájemní smlouva mezi hl. m. Prahou a Muzeem paměti XX. století. Pro muzeum vytvořil ing. arch. Martin Veber objemovou studii, která je dostupná zde. Na jejím základě hlavní město Praha zadalo přípravu stavební dokumentace ateliéru IXA, který ji dokončil v roce 2022 pod vedením doc. Ing. arch. Tomáše Hradečného. V roce 2023 byla vypsána hl. m. Praha soutěž na výběr stavební firmy. Rekonstrukci Domu pážat na sídlo Muzea paměti XX. století schválila Rada hl. m. Prahy 9. října 2023. Vybraná dceřiná firma Metrostavu Subterra měla původně dokončit práci na počátku roku 2025, ale vzhledem k velkému rozsahu archeologického výzkumu byl termín posunut na konec září 2025.

In April 2022, a working group was created at the Museum of the Memory of the 20th Century under the leadership of historian Petr Blažek, whose members are both museum employees and external collaborators. The group first prepared a conceptual proposal, which was discussed with members of the museum's internal bodies (the Board of Trustees, the Supervisory Board, the College and the Collections Committee). It was also presented to the public, most recently at the Center for Architecture and Urban Planning (CAMP) on November 30, 2022. Subsequently, the group prepared a draft libretto for the permanent exhibition, which was presented to members of the College of the Museum of Twentieth-Century Memory on March 2, 2023. On April 27, 2023, the libretto for the permanent exhibition was unanimously approved by the members of the Board of Trustees of the Museum of Twentieth-Century Memory. On 23 May 2023, the document was discussed by the Board of Trustees of the Museum of the Memory of the Twentieth Century. On 7 June 2023, the libretto was discussed with a positive response at the meeting of the Committee for Culture, Heritage Care, Exhibition and Tourism Promotion of the City of Prague, where its content was presented by the head of the working group Petr Blažek. The committee meeting was also attended by the chairwoman of the board of trustees, Hana Marvanová, and the director of the museum, Jan Kalous.

The basic approach of the libretto is the concept of the narrative museum, which has been gaining ground in museology in recent decades. In addition to foreign institutions, the debates on the focus of the permanent exhibition also took into account the existing or planned similar exhibition projects of other museums and memorials in the Czech Republic (the National Museum, the Žižkov Army Museum, the Prague City Museum, the Moravian Museum, the Lidice Memorial, the Memorial to the Three Resistances, the Jan Palach Memorial in Všetaty, the Museum of Literature, etc.).

The design of the libretto of the permanent exhibition also includes visualizations of the House of the Pážat, prepared by the IXA studio under the direction of doc. ing. arch. Tomáš Hradečný for the presentation of the upcoming headquarters of the Museum of Memory of the XX Century at the Centre for Architecture and Urban Planning (CAMP) on 30 November 2022. The recording is available here. 

The main theme of the permanent exhibition will be Czechoslovakia and totalitarianism. The intention is to present in particular various forms of historical memory, their plurality and the general framework of the chosen period, and at the same time specific stories using three-dimensional collection objects. Modern audiovisual means will be used, which are a prerequisite for an attractive, educational and entertaining form of exhibition. The aim is also to convey education, inspiration, emotions and experiences to visitors. The permanent exhibition will be aimed at the general public, with an emphasis on second-level primary school pupils and secondary and university students. The aim is also to reach out to foreign visitors and thus promote tourism in Prague. The exposition will also be linked to mobile applications for historical walks in other places in Prague. There will also be educational programmes for the public and schools, an electronic presentation of the exhibition on the museum's website and accompanying publications.

The permanent exhibition is limited by the size of the available exhibition space, which is just under 250^m2. Therefore, other parts of the House of Pheasants (courtyard, garden, library and lecture hall) will be used mainly for temporary exhibitions. The aim is to create a lively cultural institution where a number of accompanying events (debates, seminars, conferences, outdoor exhibitions, film screenings, concerts, etc.) will be held simultaneously.

The libretto contains the following basic exhibition sub-themes: