Jan Žižka 600 Years: Exhibition and festival in Tábor marks six centuries since the Czech general’s death
This week sees the anniversary of the death of the Hussite general Jan Žižka, and the city of Tábor is commemorating the event with an interactive exhibition and a medieval-themed festival. The exhibition, entitled Jan Žižka 600 years, presents visitors with the full context of the general’s life, and lets us decide for ourselves what we today should make of the successful warrior.
The South Bohemian city of Tábor was founded in 1420 by radical members of the religious Hussite movement. The general Jan Žižka, who successfully fought for the movement against invading Catholic forces, remains a prominent figure in the Czech collective consciousness. In 2022, he was the subject of the film Medieval, the most expensive Czech film ever made. Žižka, who died on the 11th of October 1424, has also given his name to the pretty central square in Tábor. There visitors to the city can find the Hussite Museum and enjoy a special exhibition all about the general from the 26th of April 2024 to the 11th of May next year.
The 'Jan Žižka: 600 Years' exhibition is open to all ages and degrees of interest in medieval history. It tells the full story of the general’s life, engaging visitors with short films, animations, replicas of weapons and machines of war, and genuine objects from his era. The exhibition does not shy away from bigger topics, like the question of what we today should think about Jan Žižka. Was he a hero and a warrior of God, or a villain and a murderer? Or both? Zdeněk Vybíral, a historian at the Hussite Museum, explained to Czech Radio the layout of the exhibition, which begins with a crossroads and choice between paths towards heaven, hell and purgatory.
“The crossroads here is not at all accidental, because the exhibition does not want to push the visitor's opinion about what Žižka was like and what historical role he fulfilled in our history. We have gathered here a number of facts and findings from modern historical archaeological research, but we present them in such a way that visitors themselves can actually decide whether Žižka was a positive or a negative historical figure.”
Also commemorating the anniversary is Žižka’s Weekend, a three-day programme of events in Tábor from Friday 10th to Sunday 12th of this week. The events begin on Friday with a commemorative ceremony on the square, followed the next day by a screening of a new documentary about the general and his life. Entitled ‘The Truth about Žižka’, the documentary is a co-production of Czech Television, and will include interviews with experts and address the topic of how people since Žižka’s era have used (or even abused) his legacy. Then on Sunday, historical reenactors will invite visitors to a Hussite military camp brought to life. Under the command of Jan Žižka himself, visitors can live the life of Hussite warriors, with authentic accommodation, cuisine, music and weaponry. The camp offers plenty of engaging activities for historical fans both young and old.
