The exhibition “The cafés of Ostrava” at Ostravské muzeum invites you to travel back in time and experience three periods of café culture in the city – each of them bearing aromatic witness to a particular era. Through the stories of four iconic Ostrava cafés – the Praha, Elektra, Fénix and Palace – they trace the evolution of the city’s café scene from the boom years of the early 20th century, through the decline and transformation of Ostrava’s cafés in the second half of the century, to their new incarnations in the present day.

Established in the golden age of Ostrava’s café culture, these are the only cafés in the city that have survived throughout all the turbulence of modern history and have become living witnesses to the evolution of public spaces in times of both freedom and totalitarianism.

A café is a litmus test of democracy – the freer a society, the more vibrant and diverse are its cafés. And what about coffee itself? Once a luxury item available only to a select few, it has now become a much-loved daily ritual for many. This exhibition will not only guide you through the world of cafés; it will also reveal the fascinating world of coffee itself – as a plant, a drink, and a social and cultural phenomenon that reaches into a plethora of domains including health, language, and much more.

The exhibition has just been prolonged and is available until 31. 12. 2026.

Read more: https://www.ostrmuz.cz/website/imagemenu/exhibitions/show.en.php