The Museum of Czech Puppetry and Circus in Prachatice has opened a new exposition devoted to Czech circus. Its first part deals with the history of Czech puppets from the first puppeteers to family and association theaters to professional companies. Besides the traditional Devil and Kasperle, the visitors can see puppets based on designs by Mikoláš Aleš, Vojtěch Sucharda or Jiří Trnka. You can also see famous puppet plays in historical puppet theaters directly at the exposition.
The second part, which is the only circus museum in the Czech Republic, shows posters, photographs and documents and the visitors find themselves inside a circus ring with trapezes, a Persian pole, unicycles, juggling equipment and circus costumes. The exposition also includes the motorcycle ridden by bears in Šest Medvědů s Cibulkou (Six Bears with Onion) film. Video projections bring antique magic props (some dating back to the early 1800s) back to life in the hands of the foremost Czech magicians. Unlike in any other Czech museum, the visitors can also see a historical traveling amusement attraction: a freak show with waxheads of historical personages and a moving mermaid.
The Prachatice Museum is a part of the National Museum. Its entire circus exposition is the work of scientist and curator Hanuš Jordán, PhD.