Entitled “Czech-Slovak / Slovak-Czech Exhibition 2018”, the joint exhibition project of the National Museum and the Slovak National Museum tells a story of how the initially unrealistic project of Czechoslovakia became the reality that influenced the lives of millions of people of the new state. These people also shaped the new state, formed it and gradually embraced it, identified with it, or positioned themselves against its existence. All of this helped to complete its own story. And vice versa; the new state significantly shaped and influenced the destinies of the people of Czechoslovakia. Much of the exhibition will be concerned with the Czech-Slovak relations in 1918–1992, with overlaps into the period before the formation of Czechoslovakia, as well as after its break-up.

The exhibition will give an understanding of the history of the common state of Czechs and Slovaks throughout its existence. It will show what united the two nations, what divided them, and what ultimately led to their separation in 1992. The introduction into the exhibition will present the political development of Czechoslovakia, whereas the subsequent parts will be thematic – seeking answers to questions associated with national issues, church developments, leisure spending, transport connections between Czech lands and Slovakia, developments in pop culture, economy, arts, etc. The exhibition will reflect certain phenomena of the common state, such as its military service, placements of Czechs in Slovakia and Slovaks in Czech lands, or the success of Slovak popular music among Czechs, the Slovak television Mondays, etc.

The joint project of both National Museums is part of the broader project “Commemoration of the Formation of Czechoslovakia in 1918”, in which the Moravian Museum, the Silesian Museum, the Military History Institute Prague and the Institute of Military History Bratislava are also involved. The project has been held under the professional cooperation with the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.

The exhibition will be opened in April 2018 at the Bratislava Castle and subsequently moved to Prague, where it will be ceremonially launched on 28 October 2018.