Record of the year: 1,449 people in folk costumes mark centenary of Wallachian Open-Air Museum
The Wallachian Open-Air Museum in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm marked the 100th anniversary of its founding in 2025 with a record-breaking celebration. A total of 1,449 people wearing traditional folk costumes gathered in Masaryk Square in late June, making the Czech Book of Records.
The 100th birthday anniversary of the Wallachian Open-Air Museum in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm attracted people from around the country –both those who have roots in the region and those who have a love for folk traditions.
Many of the locals still have folk costumes carefully folded in old chests, which they bring out on special occasions. Others had them made especially.
“I live in Rožnov and today I saw people I normally meet on the street in everyday clothes, but now they’ve taken out their festive costumes,” Lucie and Alenka told Czech Radio as they queued up to register.
“I’m all the way from the Krkonoše Mountains. I had my costume made specially for this occasion . I joined the group Guardians of Wallachian Traditions and wanted to contribute to the record. I have no idea how many of us there will be—there are Wallachians everywhere, so I’m curious about the final number,” said another attendee.
Throughout the day people continued to gather. A family in traditional dress showed off their costumes to reporters with the girls swirling their skirts.
“I’m from Prague, I borrowed the costume from my grandmother,” one of them explained. “It’s not that bad,” another commented on how it felt to wear several layers of petticoats.
President Petr Pavel, who arrived to congratulate the Wallachian Open-Air Museum on its anniversary, stressed the value of preserving the region’s cultural heritage.
“Preserving traditions highlights our identity and roots. They are an anchor. Today’s world is very open—many people travel, study and work abroad, and after some time most of them realize where they belong and where they feel best,” the president said.
The highlight came when a representative of the Agency Dobrý den (which registers entries into the Czech Book of Records) announced the official count on stage: 1,449 people in traditional costume in one place. The participants then set off in a ceremonial procession from the square to the Wallachian Open-Air Museum, where they continued celebrations marking the centenary of its founding long into the night.
