Enigma exhibition in Prague uncovering stories of secret wartime inventions
A legendary code-breaking story, secret wartime inventions and the fascinating history of cryptology. The National Technical Museum in Prague is inviting visitors to a special exhibition open until May 10.
The exhibition called Enigma a jiné tajné projekty (Enigma and Other Secret Projects) centers on the famous Enigma cipher machine, used in several versions mainly by the German armed forces before and during the Second World War. At the time, the device was believed to be virtually unbreakable. It could produce more than one hundred million possible encryption combinations, allowing the German military to send what they believed were completely secure messages.
But the exhibition goes beyond the Enigma itself. It also explores the broader history of cryptology and shows how encryption has influenced human civilization, sometimes even affecting the everyday lives of ordinary people.
According to Stanislav Dvořák from the National Technical Museum, the exhibition highlights projects that had to remain secret for political reasons.
“In the entrance section of the exhibition, there are telecommunications devices, spy or hidden cameras, and cameras used for aerial photography. Visitors can also see maps that were used, for example, by the German General Staff when planning invasions of individual countries. In the final part of the exhibition, there are several other projects that are not directly related to encryption. We have two motorcycles there. During the occupation, the company of František Janeček developed motorcycle prototypes, but this was not fully permitted, so it had to be done in secret.”
The exhibition is based on a travelling display from the Slovak Technical Museum and has been expanded with additional objects. Alongside the Enigma machine, visitors can also see two other cipher machines, historical spy cameras, aerial photography equipment and communication technology.
The exhibition also features the remarkable story of Curt Herzstark, who designed the Curta pocket calculator. At a time when mechanical calculators were large and heavy, Herzstark created a compact design and completed it while imprisoned in a concentration camp during the war. After the war, the Curta calculator became a worldwide success.
Among the historical objects on display are also the baroque “Organum Mathematicum” and the Hagelin-Cryptos cipher machine, similar models of which were used by the U.S. Army during the Second World War.
Visitors can also try several historical coding techniques themselves. Interactive stations allow them to experiment with the Enigma principle, the Caesar and Jefferson ciphers, and even writing messages using Morse code.
The exhibition created in cooperation with the Slovak Technical Museum, the Technical Museum in Brno and the Military History Institute Prague is open in the National Technical Museum in Prague until May 10.
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