Masaryk’s Legacy
A travelling exhibition on the life, work and legacy of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the first President of Czechoslovakia, presented across ten thematic panels.
The travelling exhibition Masaryk’s Legacy presents the life, work and enduring legacy of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, the first President of Czechoslovakia. It explores his ideas on democracy, humanism, education and civic responsibility, highlighting their lasting relevance to contemporary society.
The exhibition is based on the scholarly concept developed by the historian and museum curator Mgr. Ladislav Smejkal, a long-time specialist at the Regional Museum and Gallery in Česká Lípa. Through archival documents, historical photographs, reproductions of works of art and contemporary quotations, it guides visitors through the key stages of Masaryk’s life—from his childhood and education, through his academic and political career, to the establishment of independent Czechoslovakia and his enduring legacy.
The exhibition is based on the original project of the Masaryk Democratic Movement, whose mission is continued by the Masaryk International Cultural and Educational Centre as its successor organization. The Centre has assumed responsibility for the exhibition and is committed to its ongoing scholarly development, updating its content, expanding it with newly discovered historical materials and documents, and presenting it throughout the Czech Republic and abroad.
The exhibition consists of ten main panels tracing the most significant stages of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk’s life while presenting his philosophical, political and moral legacy. Designed as a travelling exhibition, it is intended for display in schools, museums, galleries, cultural institutions, libraries and public venues both in the Czech Republic and internationally.
The mission of the Masaryk International Cultural and Educational Centre is to preserve and further develop Masaryk’s legacy, make it accessible to the widest possible audience, and promote international cultural and educational cooperation in the spirit of the values that Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk championed throughout his life.
The booklet is bilingual, Czech and English.
Exhibition Panels
Face and Figure
Portraits, busts and poetic tributes capturing Masaryk's likeness and how his contemporaries saw him.
Childhood – Youth – Studies
From his childhood as the son of a coachman and a cook, through secondary school, to his university years in Vienna and Leipzig.
University Career
Masaryk's academic career – from his doctorate and his fight against forged manuscripts to his major works Suicide and The Social Question.
In the Whirl of Public Life
His entry into politics, the founding of his own party, and his courageous stand in the Hilsner affair that made him known across the country.
In the Resistance
His flight into exile and his organisation of the Czechoslovak foreign resistance across Europe, Russia and the USA during the First World War.
President
The building of the new Czechoslovak state, its constitution, symbols and coexistence of many nationalities under Masaryk's leadership.
Farewell
The nation's moving farewell to its president in September 1937, captured in the press and poetry of the day.
Humiliation and Hope
Masaryk's legacy as a source of comfort and hope for the Czech nation after Munich and during the Nazi occupation.
Disgrace and the Loss of Memory
The deliberate discrediting and rewriting of Masaryk's legacy by communist propaganda after 1948.
In Search of the Legacy
The return of Masaryk's legacy to public life after 1989 and its significance for democracy today.
Origin and Stewardship
Masaryk Democratic Movement — author of the exhibition's original project
Masaryk International Cultural and Educational Centre — successor organization, steward of the exhibition