Jičín

The permanent exhibition “Jewish Writers in the Czech Lands”

The permanent exhibition is dedicated to Jewish literature in the Czech lands during the 19th and 20th centuries, with a focus on leading authors and genres in both German and Czech. Its aim is to show that the intellectual climate of the Czech lands arose from the interaction and encounter of three cultures (Czech, German, and Jewish), and how this cultural climate – which had been so extraordinarily beneficial to literature – was destroyed by the catastrophe of 1933–1945 and the totalitarian regime after 1948. The exhibition also shows visitors what has managed to survive despite all these odds by recalling roughly 200 authors, journalists, playwrights and critics writing in German and Czech The smaller room on the ground floor is dedicated to Jičín native Karl Kraus (1874–1936 Vienna), who significantly influenced Central Europe’s cultural and social climate from the late 19th century until the 1930s. The room is furnished as his study. The room in the courtyard wing is furnished like an editorial office from the early 20th century, as a reminder of the time when numerous Jewish journalists were active in the Czech lands.