ICOM Czech Republic
ICOM Czech Republic fulfils the goals and activities of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) in the Czech Republic and mediates communication among ICOM, the international ICOM committees and the Czech members. ICOM Czech Republic spreads and adheres to ICOM’s standards and principles, which are contained in the ICOM Code of Ethics and which cultivate and develop the museum environment in the Czech Republic.
In 1994, the Czech ICOM Committee and Slovak ICOM Committee followed in the footsteps of the ICOM Czechoslovakia, which was at the birth of ICOM in 1946, when Czechoslovakia was one of the founding countries. During its existence, the ICOM Czechoslovakia stood in the forefront of world museology, in particular through important personalities of modern museology, such as Zbyněk Zbyslav Stránský, one of the most important museum theorists of the 20th century, and Jan Jelínek, who was president of ICOM from 1971 to 1977.
It was in the 1970s under the presidency of Jan Jelínek when ICOM underwent a great transformation into an organisation open to all museum professionals, increasing the importance of national committees as tools for the exchange of the results of scientific work, experience and opinions. In 1974, the definition of museums came into effect and, with several updates (1995 – Stavanger, Norway and 2007 – Wien, Austria), is still valid today. Since 1977, museums have been celebrating International Museum Day every year on 18 May. ICOM Czech Republic today is proud successor of ICOM Czechoslovakia and its members.
ICOM Czech Republic currently has 90 institutional members and more than 350 individual members. It is one of the organizations that represent museums and their members in negotiations with public authorities, and participates in the preparation of important documents, such as development concepts and other strategic materials. We prepare or participate in the preparation of conferences in the Czech Republic and abroad.
Executive Board of ICOM, in its 139th session in July 2019, approved the designation of the City of Prague as the host city of the 26th ICOM General Conference which will take place from 20 to 28 August 2022.
