The Eyes of State Security

We have opened a new exhibition titled The Eyes of State Security in the garden gallery.

Unfortunately, in the colourful history of the villa at Drobného 22, there were also dark and as yet unexplored periods when the former residence of Jewish entrepreneurs was used for the needs of the state police. First, during World War II, by the Nazi police, and after liberation in 1945, by the Czechoslovak State Security. It demonstrably resided here until 1946. In this context, we bring you an exhibition that focuses on the activities of State Security in times when it was already fully in the hands of the Communist Party and became one of the main instruments of oppression of the totalitarian regime.

The main themes of the exhibition are the surveillance units of State Security and photographs of historical figures, important events, and places taken by its personnel during the communist regime. For example, the exhibition details the secret police's surveillance operations against Václav Havel, Pavel Kohout, Jan Patočka, Cardinal František Tomášek, František Kriegel, and Western diplomats. The structure of the Surveillance Administration, its staff, chiefs, and collaborators are also described.