The Museum of Romani Culture (''Muzeum romské kultury'' in

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places * Czech, ...

) is an institution dedicated to the history and culture of the

Romani people The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sig ...

(Gypsies). It is situated in

Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

History

The Museum was founded in 1991 by members of the

Romani intelligentsia, led by Jana Horváthová, in the period of freedom which followed the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. During its early years, its location moved from one place to another and the institution struggled with financial problems. In December 2000, it moved to its present building on Bratislavská Street in Brno, which is the centre of the local Romani community. The museum is now financed from the state budget. On December 1, 2005, the first permanent exhibition was opened.

Exhibitions

The permanent exhibition covers 6 rooms with an area of 326 m². It is dedicated to the life, culture, and important events of the Romanis during their migration from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

until the present day, with emphasis on the situation in

Czech lands The Czech lands or the Bohemian lands ( cs, České země ) are the three historical regions of Bohemia, Moravia, and Czech Silesia. Together the three have formed the Czech part of Czechoslovakia since 1918, the Czech Socialist Republic since 1 ...

during the period 1945–1989. Temporary exhibitions, mostly art and photography, are created from time to time. In addition to the exhibitions, the museum is also a place of Romani research in

Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the area' ...

. With a public library, students and other interested people have a chance to select from more than 3,000 publications (books, magazines, CDs). The museum organizes lectures, concerts, panel debates and

Romany language Romani (; also Romany, Romanes , Roma; rom, rromani ćhib, links=no) is an Indo-Aryan macrolanguage of the Romani communities. According to ''Ethnologue'', seven varieties of Romani are divergent enough to be considered languages of their o ...

courses for the public and professionals. In the afternoon the club is opened for Romani children from the neighbourhood. The Museum of Romani Culture constantly organizes various thematic exhibitions, e.g. Roma in Czechoslovakia (1992), Roma in the City of Brno (1996), Searching for Home (1999), The World through the Eyes of the Roma (1997–2005), The Story of the Roma (2011), Media Image of the Roma from the 19th century to the present (2013), Gypsy Myth (2014), World without Borders. Roma and Sport (2014), Roma Treasure (2016). In 2017, it was a temporary photographic exhibition by Nino Nihad Pušija Parno Gras and an exhibition Without Hate? HateFree ?. In cooperation with the Moravian Gallery, the Museum of Romani Culture has prepared the exhibition The Universe is Black in the Governor's Palace. In 2018, the museum prepared an exhibition by Mire Sveti / Světy Andrej Pešta and Ceija Stojka.

Library

The library sources include important research papers and prints, Romani literature, news articles in Czech and Slovakian (regarding to Roma), news articles about Roma in foreign languages, overview of legislations, printed discussions and debates.

Roma and Sinti Center in Prague

In September 2020, the newly emerging specialized workplace of the museum was introduced - the Roma and Sinti Center in Prague. The first center of this type in the capital is to become a space for education and exhibition activities and will function as an information center and a place for community and social gatherings. It will be built in a First Republic villa in Prague's Dejvice at Velvarská 1. The Museum of Romani Culture has been the administrator of the building since 2019. The family house was designed by architects Arnošt (Ernst) Mühlstein and Victor Fürpro in 1937 for Leo František Perutz, a textile entrepreneur. The building will be renovated and purposefully completed, the work is expected to be completed in 2022. The center is to be opened on March 1, 2023.

References

External links

The Museum of Romani Culture
(Czech) Other Romani museums:
Documentation and Cultural Centre of German Sinti and Roma
in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

(German, English)
Ethnographic Museum
in

Tarnów Tarnów () is a city in southeastern Poland with 105,922 inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of 269,000 inhabitants. The city is situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999. From 1975 to 1998, it was the capital of the Tarnów ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

. Click menu ''ROMA (CYGANIE)'' on the left. (Polish, English, Romany) {{Authority control Museums established in 1991

Museum of Romani Culture The Museum of Romani Culture (''Muzeum romské kultury'' in Czech) is an institution dedicated to the history and culture of the Romani people (Gypsies). It is situated in Brno, Czech Republic. History The Museum was founded in 1991 by members o ...