In Spálené Poříčí, a museum of cartoon humor was opened today

Spálené Poříčí (Plzeňsko) - In Spálené Poříčí, Plzeň region, a museum of cartoon humor was opened today, featuring exhibitions on the history of Brdy and a gallery for local artists. Thus, a reportedly unique gallery of cartoon humor by Jiří Winter Neprakta has been established in the Czech Republic. The museum cost the Brdy town 17 million crowns, including VAT, with the European ROP program providing 92 percent of the funding, mainly for the reconstruction of a large baroque four-story granary, but also for the exhibitions, said Mayor Pavel Čížek to ČTK. Hundreds of people attended today’s opening.
    According to Čížek, this is a significant project aimed at increasing the attractiveness of tourism in southern Plzeň, designed for both adults and children. "It will be a big draw for tourists, because Neprakta’s humor in its large, almost spatial form, is definitely beautiful. I hope people will come there to laugh; humor is still terribly scarce," said the mayor. He is not aware of any similar museum of cartoon humor in the Czech Republic. The entire second floor is occupied by hundreds of Neprakta's drawings, who has created about 35,000 pictures and is in the Guinness Book of Records as the drawer with the largest number of images.
    His lifelong creation of gentle humor is categorized into thematic units. Many characters are known to both children and adults from fairy tales and books. Some stand in open spaces for visitors to take photos with, such as the executioner, princess, and dwarf.
    "Three floors of the granary have been made accessible. On the half of the ground floor, there is a gallery of local artists, currently featuring children's drawings, while the second floor hosts old historical machines and an ironmongery exhibition," stated the mayor. On the first floor, visitors can view hundreds of exhibits from the history of Brdy, including old crafts, as well as rooms from old cottages and workshops, and a reconstructed Brdy square with an ancient wooden pump. "It is an educational trail with information boards providing details about flora, fauna, history, architecture, extinct villages, and crafts. Local artists and writers from Brdy, Jan Čáka and Miroslav Hásek, helped us a lot," the mayor mentioned. They ensured large-scale prints of paintings, photographs, and graphics. The exhibitions are separated by imitations of rural fences.
    It will be open to the public from Tuesday, every year from April to the end of October. The museum will be managed by the city and its information center. It is located opposite the new municipal community center and the hotel Ve Dvoře, where the town hall built a stage for cultural events last year.
    The enormous former granary from 1723, which was in very poor condition, is in the town’s heritage zone; the building itself is not under heritage protection. Spálené Poříčí recently received a grant from the ROP program for the renovation of the square.