Voices of Czechs from Volhynia

The Muzeum Města Podbořany hosts a truly unique exhibition titled "Voices of Czechs from Volhynia". It offers visitors a glimpse into the extraordinary destinies of the Volhynian Czech community, from their departure from Austria-Hungary to the then Russian Empire, to their returns to Czechoslovakia and current events. It was created in cooperation with the National Museum, the city of Podbořany, and the Association of Czechs from Volhynia and their Friends.

From the 1860s onwards, people from the Czech lands massively moved to the Volhynian Governorate in search of cheap land. As colonists, they built their prosperous world there and, despite frequent political changes, tried to preserve their Czech character. In the Second World War, they formed a significant part of the Czechoslovak army corps, which contributed to the possibility of tens of thousands of people returning en masse to their historical homeland. Most of them re-emigrated to the Podbořany or Žatec region. Volhynia is now part of Ukraine, and recently, many people with Czech roots have fled the war there to the Czech Republic.

In Podbořany, visitors have the opportunity to view dozens of unique items from the National Museum's collections that have not yet been publicly presented. These include agricultural tools, equipment from Volhynian households, and trophies from competitions of Czech Sokol units in Volhynia. Other exhibits will introduce visitors to topics such as religion, political changes, and the periods of World War I and World War II. The experiences of Czechs from a distant environment are also conveyed through accompanying texts and maps, many photographs, and the memories of witnesses. The exhibition "Voices of Czechs from Volhynia" is a unique presentation of a still living and often overlooked topic in Czech history.

The Muzeum Podbořany is operated by the local information center, located at Dukelská 1.