The National Technical Museum is dedicating a special exhibition to Václav Klement, co-founder of Škoda Auto, on the occasion of the company’s 130th anniversary. The focus is on Klement’s role as an entrepreneur, patron, and influential figure in the history of technology and industry.
On the occasion of Škoda Auto’s 130th anniversary, the National Technical Museum (Národní technické muzeum) will open an exhibition on Wednesday, 17 December, recalling the beginnings of the historic company from Mladá Boleslav. At the same time, the exhibition honours the company’s founder Václav Klement (1868–1938), who not only made history as a leading figure of the largest automobile factory in the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the time but later also contributed significantly to Czechoslovak technical museums and the preservation of technological history.
The conception and implementation of the exhibition focus on Klement’s donations to the museum and the significance of his personality. The exhibition is prompted by several notable anniversaries:
- 1895 – Founding of Laurin & Klement in Mladá Boleslav
- 1905 – Start of automobile production at Laurin & Klement
- 1925 – Merger of Laurin & Klement with the Škoda Group
- 1935 – Major donations by Václav Klement to the collection and archive of the Technical Museum of Czechoslovakia
Through its graphic design and exhibits, the exhibition immerses visitors in the atmosphere of the early 20th century and the 1920s. On display are, among other items, two Slavia motorcycles – two of a total of four Laurin & Klement vehicles that Václav Klement personally repurchased via newspaper ads in the mid-1930s and donated to the Technical Museum of Czechoslovakia in 1935. The presentation is complemented by the original desk and chairs from Klement’s private study, as well as his 1939 portrait by Božena Vohánková (on loan from the Škoda Museum in Mladá Boleslav). In addition, the exhibition reflects on the enduring myth of the Laurin & Klement brand, long after its factual end.
The exhibition can be seen in the Small Gallery of the permanent exhibition on Architecture, Construction, and Design and runs until 15 March 2026.
Národní technické muzeum (Technical Museum)
Kostelní 42, 170 78 Praha 7
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