“Spit in the face of our nation. Recklessness and courage. The Czech Republic should stay in the Czech Republic!” Fierce comments are heard in Dresden, Saxony, about an exhibition of St. Vitus' treasure and a portion of the coronation jewels, such as the coronation cross. This treasure is being exhibited abroad for the first time. Opposition SPD leader Tomio Okamura and his colleague Jaroslav Foldyna joined in the criticism. The representatives approached the Prague Castle administration for a loan.
“Removing this symbol on March 15 is spitting in the face of our nation,” deputy Jaroslav Foldina (formerly ČSSD, now SPD) said under a photo of former prime minister Andrej Babiš with a 14th-century coronation cross. The cross is part of the Treasure of St. Vitus, and a rare part of the crown jewels of Czech kings. Foltina noted the fact that the exhibition was opened on the 85th anniversary of Nazi Germany's occupation of Czechoslovakia with the participation of Czech President Peter Pavel.
We have just sent a letter about the St. Vitus treasure pic.twitter.com/fqOaoGhjFu
— Tomio Okamura (@tomio_cz)
April 4, 2024
Although Okamura and Foltina apparently did not go to Dresden, they did return to Prague Castle to borrow the St. Vitus treasure. According to Okamura, especially for the metropolitan chapter in the city of St. Welcome to Prague. “We are asking for information on the following questions,” Okamura said. He wants to know who decided to loan the treasure to Germany, who and why decided the symbolic opening date of the exhibition and how the treasure was insured and its safety ensured. The request signed by MP Foldyna was then addressed to the administration of Prague Castle.
“The St. Vitus temple treasure is abroad for the first time. For the first time, even Czech visitors can see it in such a composition,” President Pavel said at the opening of the exhibition. The President opened the exhibition to mark the anniversary of the invasion together with Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer. The exhibition, called Fragments of Memory, runs until Saturday 8 September at the Art Hall in Leipzig. The curator of the exhibition is Jiri Fajt.
Thanks to the efforts of the Emperor and Czech King Charles IV, the St. Vitus treasure continued to be expanded by the Bemislov dynasty. Doubled. A wide variety of monuments can be found in Dresden, as well as important works of goldsmith's art, paintings and sculptures. An example is the relic of Saint Adalbert donated by Vladislav Jagiellon, known as the Gnostic Plenum, also known as the Relic of the Holy Cross.
