Automuseum PRAGA

Praga Association – a non-profit organization established recently as a spontaneous response to concerns about the potential deterioration of the precious collection which has been in a dismal situation for a number of years, falling into disrepair and in danger of serious damage that could lead to devastation of cultural and technical treasure of extraordinary importance.

The purpose of the Association is to promote the Praga brand, provide marketing and advertising support to Automuseum Praga and get donors and sponsors to preserve the collection of vintage cars and other collectables.

The Praga Association is not an entity that is to operate the museum but its participation will significantly help cover the costs of the museum establishment and operation and maintenance of the exhibits. No matter where the new location of Automuseum Praga will be, the Association fully respects the decision of the founder, Mr Emil Příhoda.

The most likely location of Automuseum Praga seems to be in Chomutov. The project implementation is currently hindered by a lack of funds caused by problems with the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.

At the beginning of 2016, a situation arose which is difficult to comprehend. Automuseum Praga was closed over family disputes and has not been made accessible to the public since. The period of uncertainty as to the fate of the precious collection has continued to these days. As at the beginning of 2021, the dismal situation where the collection is falling into disrepair has not been resolved so far. Hopes were raised several times in the form of various projects, such as e.g. the possibility to open the museum in the original facilities of the Praga plant in Vysočany in Prague, but to no avail so far.

In 2016, Czech TV reporters ran a telling report on the bleak situation of the Praga collection titled Pragovky pod zámkem (Praga cars under lock).

VIDEO: Česká televize - Pragovky pod zámkem

Automuseum Praga saw its glory days in 2000 when Mr Příhoda successfully completed his lifelong endeavour and opened a new museum in a former farmstead in Zbuzany near Prague. 43 years after 1957, when he had announced the establishment of the museum to authorities for the first time, he finally managed to find a permanent location to house the entire collection and make it accessible to the public. To get an idea, watch the Czech TV show Toulavá kamera, Automuseum Praga which documents the atmosphere when Automuseum Praga was in its heyday.

VIDEO: Česká televize - toulavá kamera

The website has been created in response to the amount of information in the media about the dismal condition which Mr Emil Příhoda's collection of Praga vintage cars has been in for a long time. Our goal is to gather information the public and Praga brand fans might find interesting and centralize it in one place on our website. We would also like to foster solidarity among people with the fate of Mr Příhoda and his extensive collection, to which he devoted more than 6 decades of his life. The Automuseum Praga website has been in operation for just a few days, it is a work in progress and uses information available from the media and other sources as well as from Mr Příhoda himself. Its purpose is not only to find help in order to rescue such a unique collection but also to serve as a reminder of the history of the First Republic’s car maker. We will be glad if you follow the website and share its contents on social networks. The website is operated by the Green Pear Tip s.r.o. agency.