Project objective

The main objective of the project is to preserve and systematize selected forms of intangible and material cultural heritage reflecting the changes in border landscape, settlement and inhabitants in the second half of the 20th century and to present this type of heritage to the public through exhibitions in museums of border regions, public spaces and other popularization activities. Partial goal is to map and present to the public various forms of cultural heritage in the Tachov/Oberpfalz region, while creating an interdisciplinary cross-border network of cooperating research institutions and institutions securing the preservation and presentation of the 20th century cultural heritage.

Context

The cross-border region of Tachov /Oberpfalz district underwent significant changes in the second half of the 20th century as a result of migrations after the World War II (displacement of the German population from Czech lands, re-emigration in the border regions from the Czech inland and Eastern European regions dwelled by Czechoslovak enclaves like Ukrainian Volyn or Romania) and the establishment of the Iron Curtain and following reforms in the 1960s. For many reasons this important period in the history of the region is not adequately reflected in border museums,although it has shaped significantly its present condition, as well as strengths and weaknesses of future development. This deficiency concerns, for example, the Museum of the Czech Forest in Tachov. The issue of many abandoned German villages in the Tachov region (predominantly inhabited by the German population before the end of World War II) is not sufficiently elaborated in the expositions on the German side of the border, even though it is a subject of great public interest. The proposed project intends to fill this gap and present this topic to the public. It will focus on selected forms of intangible and material cultural heritage reflecting the theme of “Transformation of the border landscape, settlement and inhabitants in the second half of the twentieth century” in museums and via other popularization techniques. The project also responds to the need for cooperation between institutions preserving the natural and cultural heritage.