Prague - Prague's Vítkov Hill memorial is an easily recognizable place in town and its history is nothing but complex, full of unexpected twists and turns.

Ten years after Czechoslovakia was founded in 1918, the memorial was built. It symbolized the Czechoslovak statehood and legionnaires who fought in WWI were buried here. The first democratic president of Czechoslovakia Tomáš G. Masaryk was supposed to be buried there. Then during WWII, the Nazi used the site as a storage place.

Following the communist coup in February 1948, the ashes of the legionnaires whom communists considered traitors, were taken away. The memorial was turned into a mausoleum of the first communist president Klement Gottwald. 

Right after the Velvet Revolution in 1989 the memorial was destined to be used commercially for advertisement companies, film makers and artists. It even saw a making of a porn film.

What to do with it?

In 2001, the memorial came under the ownership of the National Museum, which did not enthuse about it very much. Once again, the museum's management faced the same question: what to do with it?

The body of the first communist president Klement Gottwald was badly mummified, so it had to be cremated. | Foto: Pražský hrad

Eventually, an idea of an exhibition displaying the complex history of Czechoslovakia was born. The exhibition should feature artifacts such as Milada Horáková's farewell letter before the communists executed her in an orchestrated show trial in 1950.

There is also the first law adopted by the Czechoslovak government in 1918. Moreover, part of the memorial will be preserved, including the grave of an unknown soldier albeit the remains of the body got lost over the time. Paying honor to the unknown soldier was a tradition popular with communist bigwigs.

The renovation project includes a theater space and a rooftop cafe.

The museum should open on October 28th 2009, which is also a bank holiday celebrating the foundation of Czechoslovakia.