Muzejní akademie 2025/2026

18 Feb - lecture Markoman Wars (Jan Jílek)
The Marcomannic Wars (166-180 AD) represent an important conflict between two worlds. On one side stood the Roman Empire and on the other the Germanic and Sarmatian tribes. The lecture will focus on the background, course and consequences of this military conflict, which foreshadowed the great migration of peoples in the 5th and 6th centuries. The audience will learn about the sources and interpretation of this event. This is a period when Roman legions and auxiliary corps operated in our territory and in which the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, known to the general public as the philosopher on the throne, was personally involved.

4. 3. - lecture The story of the hat: headgear in museum collections (Tereza Mazancová)
What are the most interesting hats in museum collections and what is remarkable about them?
Headgear was an essential part of clothing until the middle of the 20th century. As well as emphasising social status, they provided the wearer with protection from the vagaries of the weather and a neat hairstyle. Do you know the difference between a milliner and a hatter? Do you want to know how a felt hat is made? Take a peek into the world of millinery, full of shapes, colours and textures.

18 March - lecture From usurpers to Dubček in Pardubice to the Normalization apparatchiks: stories of the chairmen of the post-war national committees in Pardubice (Jan Ivanega)
After the end of the war, Czechoslovak society believed in a better tomorrow. They wanted to achieve it by limiting political competition through the National Front, in which the Communists played the leading role. This also applied to Pardubice. In this lecture, we will show who the communist leaders of the city were. We will consider who the chairmen of the national committees actually were. What was hidden behind the seemingly unchanging facade of repeated phrases? Did they have the space to shape policy, or were they just gears in the apparatus of power? And what do their stories mean for the present?

25 March - lecture Easter and holidays on old postcards (Matěj Bekera)
Traditionally, we associate the most important Christian holiday with Easter eggs, pomlázka and a visit to church. Since the end of the 19th century, it has become another popular tradition to send Easter-themed postcards. Initially, these were very ornate cards with the usual motifs, but very soon humorous cards with rabbits in coats, running Easter eggs or Easter running and caroling races became popular. Join us to uncover the rich philocartist collection and discover how our ancestors commemorated various popular holidays.