The National Taiwan Museum (NTM) and the National Museum of the Czech Republic signed a letter of intent (LOI) for collaboration on March 30 for a special exhibition showcasing Czech castles and palaces, marking the first exchange exhibition between the two sister museums since their partnership began in 2022. Through this exchange, both parties hope to initiate more cultural collaborations between Taiwan and the Czech Republic.
The LOI was signed in the presence of Culture Minister Shih Che (史哲), National Palace Museum (NPM) director Hsiao Tsung-huang (蕭宗煌), and a group of distinguished guests from the National Museum of the Czech Republic including director general Michal Lukeš, deputy director general Michal Stehlík, and IT department director Martin Souček. Additionally, David Steinke, representative of the Czech Economic and Cultural Office (CECO) in Taipei, as well as Hung Shih-yu (洪世佑), director of the NTM, were also in attendance.
The Minister expressed his delight at the collaboration between the National Museum of the Czech Republic and Taiwanese museums. He hopes their joint exhibitions will include court artifacts from the National Palace Museum and contemporary collections of folk artifacts in Taiwan from the NTM and National Taiwan Museum of History, in combination with a compelling narrative, to enhance the depth and breadth of museum exchanges between the two countries.
Meanwhile, MOC will also use the cultural division established in the Czech Republic this year as an important base to expand more diverse cultural exchanges between Taiwan and the Czech Republic.
Michal Lukeš expressed the country's great interest in collaborating with Taiwanese museums. He stated that the conversation with the NPM and NTM was fruitful and is planning to engage in substantive curatorial dialogue with Taiwanese counterparts in the near future.
The National Museum of the Czech Republic was established in 1818 and oversees a group of specialized institutes, including the Museum of Natural Sciences, the Historical Museum, the Library of the National Museum, the Náprstek Museum of Asian, African and American Cultures, and the Czech Museum of Music. It has a collection of over 20 million items, making it the largest museum in the Czech Republic.