Dietrichstein Palace, Zelný trh 8, Brno
20. 6. – 28. 9. 2025
Project for the 100th anniversary of the discovery of the Venus of Věstonice
The aim of the project is to present one of the most valuable and well-known archaeological objects in the world – the so-called Venus of Věstonice. This ceramic statuette, which is listed as a national cultural heritage of the Czech Republic, is one of the iconic examples of the artistic feeling and skill of mammoth hunters from the Old Stone Age. In 2025, we will commemorate 100 years since its discovery at the excavations of Karel Absolon in Dolní Věstonice.
The main part of the project is an exhibition where visitors will see this statuette in the original, while the chosen form of presentation will allow, unlike similar occasions in recent years, to view it from all sides. So, the visitors will be able to explore its rear part, which is usually hidden to protect the figure in the original box. Fragments of other Venuses from the collections of the Moravian Museum will also be on display. An important part of the exhibition will also be panels that will set the find in the period of mammoth hunters, introduce visitors to the history of the discovery and the latest results of the examination of Venus using micro-CT. The presentation will include an audiovisual presentation, interactive elements for children, as well as the opportunity to explore the shape of Venus by touch using a high-quality copy obtained from micro-CT imaging.
The Venus 100 project will resonate in the public space from the beginning of April 2025 and will culminate from 20 June to 13 July 2025. All main events will take place in the Dietrichstein Palace on the Vegetable Market in Brno and in the adjacent Bishop's Court.
Venus100 Project
- 2 April 2025 at 11:00 a.m. press conference in Dietrichstein Palace.
- 18 June 2025 A silver coin issued by the Czech National Bank on the occasion of the centenary of the discovery will be officially introduced. The silver coin will then be ready for sale at the cash desk of the Moravian Museum.
- 20 June 2025 at 9:00 a.m. The Venus100 exhibition will open to the public. A monograph on the Venus of Věstonice will be published to accompany the exhibition.
- 20 June 2025 The celebrations will culminate in a social evening at the Bishop's Court in Brno. The main point of the programme will be the preview of a Czech Television film directed by Karel Špalek about the secrets and research of the Venus of Věstonice. Guests can look forward to a scenic ballet of the National Theatre Brno with a light show and prehistoric music by Kryštof Mařatka, and actors from the film will also appear on stage. After the event, the programme will move to the Vegetable Market, where a concert by the Kumbalu band will follow:
— 7:30 p.m. Opening of the Bishop's Court
— 8:30 p.m. Festive inauguration
— 8:50 p.m. Concert Echoes of Prehistory
— 9:05 p.m. Screening of a Czech Television documentary
— 10:05 p.m. Birth of Venus (Ballet of the National Theatre Brno in choreography of Mário Radačovský, prehistoric and archaic trans-instruments of Kryštof Mařatka, viola Karine Lethiec, drummer Zdeněk Kluka and Municipal Theatre Brno
— 10:10 p.m. End of the programme in the Bishop´s Court
