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Czechoslovaks at World Expositions - Part VII Expo '58 in Brussels

On October 26, 1955, the government decided that the Czechoslovak Republic would take part in the Exposition Universelle et International de Bruxelles, to be held in Belgium in 1958. Our republic was awarded an exhibition plot of 12,500 m2 near the Porte des Nations. In the summer of 1956, closed competitions were held to choose a program and to choose an architectural design for the pavilion and the entire exhibition. Eight teams of architects and individuals were invited to participate in the competition: František Cubr-Josef Hrubý-Zdeněk Pokorný, Š. Svetko-E. Vician-S. Ďurkovič, Vojtěch Vilhan-Ferdinand Milučký, G. Paul, Bohuslav Fuchs, František Maria Černý, Jaroslav Fragner and, finally, J. Hipman. The winning proposal was the work of the trio Cubr, Hrubý and Pokorný from the State Planning Institute in Prague. The pavilion in the shape of the letter "L" consisted of three cubes with opaque exterior walls (suspended concrete panels covered in mosaics of beige-colored glass) at both ends and in the middle; these were linked by glass-enclosed galleries. The laminated plastic roof was light in weight and allowed sunlight to enter the pavilion. A two-story semi-circular restaurant was located in the courtyard. The area between it and the pavilion was used for an exhibition of spas. The program was developed by Jindřich Santar with contributions from J. Jasanský, J. Novotný and Alexej Pludek. In their proposal they emphasized the goal of showing "one day in Czechoslovakia by looking at work, relaxation and culture.

The statue New Age by Vincenc Makovský enlivened the space around the platform in front of the main entrance to the pavilion. To the right of the main steps, visitors' eyes were drawn to a vertical structure, on top of which the 180-ton rotor from a Kaplan turbine had been placed and was freely turning. The vestibule to the pavilion was a propaganda show using seven statues to represent the principles of Czechoslovak constitution. Light flooding through the stained-glass window entitled "The Happy Family" by Vladimír Sychra gave the entire vestibule a warm glow. This entry hall was followed by the Energy exhibition, where electric discharges were thrown out, crackling in the air. Neon tubes glowed above a betatron (a magnetic induction accelerator), which had a round window allowing visitors to look at its inner workings. In the mechanical engineering section, we proudly displayed machine tools, which were dominated by a giant WD 200 drilling machine displaying the winged arrow emblem (in foreign trade, the name Škoda, not domestic firm names such as ZVIL or the V. I. Lenin Works, was used); one section was also dedicated to polarography. The imaginative exhibition of glass received the Grand Prix; among those to display there talents here were masters in the field such as Miluše and René Roubíček, Karel Svolinský and Jaroslav Brychta. The Grand Prix was won by the entire exhibit as well as by the Nový Bor and Karlovy Vary glassworks (the latter had included František Chocholatý's year-old Giant Goblet collection in its collection created specially for Brussels). The overall impression was further enhanced by Josef Kaplický's Classically-styled mosaic "In Homage to Glass." An exhibit of contemporary art pottery was huddled near the glass. Agriculture on the mezzanine was unremarkable with the exception of a diorama of a hop-field, a tractor -the symbol of the age - and a malt house. The last section in Work was "Taste," designed by Antonín Kybal, who documented esthetic feelings as reflected in consumer goods manufactured in series for the four seasons. The section "Children and Puppets" enchanted visitors old and young alike. Here, one tree was partially stripped of its bark and woodcarvers magically brought forth from its wood a composition of toys from the world of children's dreams. Another tree, whose branches reached up to the roof, had a scene from a puppet version of A Midsummer Night's Dream filmed by Jiří Trnka hidden inside a hollow center. The section "Free Time" presented how our country deals with the areas of culture, sport and caring for the elderly. The section "Historical and Natural Monuments" was decorated with a tapestry depicting castles and chateaus, copies of the frescos from the Znojmo Rotunda and a copy of the Levoča Altar. The section "Culture" opened with "Science and Writing," which highlighted the global importance of Comenius (Komenský). Music was enlivened by a film projector, called the "polyekran" by its creator Josef Svoboda, for which Emil Radok directed the film Prague Spring. The exposition culminated in the Cultural Hall where the piŹce de résistance awaited: the Laterna Magika [Magic Lantern] - an ingenious combination of cinematography and the most modern approaches in live theater. It came about as the result of cooperation between Svoboda, Alfréd Radok and Miloš Forman. Not long after Expo '58 opened, our pavilion had already been given the nickname "Pavilion Bijoux" or the "pavilion of treasures". This standing was further reinforced by the Czechoslovak Republic's National Days on July 23 and 24, with performances by the Czech Philharmonic, the ensemble Lúčina and a performance of the National Theater's production of The Bartered Bride

From the very beginning the renown of our pavilion was further enhanced by the Praha Restaurant, which housed the Pilsen Restaurant (154 seats), the exclusive Restaurant de Luxe (81 seats plus a 16-seat salon) and a terrace restaurant with 186 seats. Of the 26 national restaurants, an international jury awarded ours first place with a total of 19.88 points out of a possible 20. For its pavilion and exhibits, Czechoslovakia was awarded 56 Grand Prix, 47 certificates, 36 gold medals, 17 silver and 14 bronze. Our pavilion as a whole was awarded the highest possible honor, the "Gold Star of the World Exposition." More than six million visitors went through the Czechoslovak Pavilion. This success led to a decision to ship the pavilion, restaurant, Laterna Magika and the Makovský statue back to Czechoslovakia. This decision was finally carried out in 1960. A formal promenade was created in the Julius Fučík Park of Culture and Relaxation (today, the exhibition grounds in the Royal Game Preserve) with the re-erected pavilion placed at the end of this promenade. Originally, the "Brussels" exhibits were reinstalled inside. In the autumn of 1991 on the final day of a car show, a fire broke out and the following spring the ruined structure was completely demolished. A slope beneath the Letná Plain looking out over the Vltava River was selected as the site for the restaurant. Space inside the Adria Palace was reconstructed to house the Laterna Magika. Czech architecture drew inspiration from these structures right through to the late 1960s. The term "Brussels style" was even used to describe restaurant interiors built during this period. This overall success was based upon a number of favorable factors: the pre-war republic's traditions of exhibiting, the rise of a new generation, the fading away of the post-war euphoria and the fact that government officials were willing to provide sufficient financing. The exhibition was used for propaganda purposes (the pavilion was dotted with citations from Communist functionaries including President Antonín Zápotocký, Vladimír Široký, President Antonín Novotný and Zdeněk Nejedlý). Our success was presented as an expression of the rise of the entire Soviet Bloc. In the words of Jindřich Santar, one of the main creators of the exposition: "The fantastic success of this small country cannot be separated from the system that undertook it. For this reason, it seems to us that the Czechoslovak Pavilion is the shop window of Communism." This ideologically-conceived presentation of Czechoslovakia was one-sided and its skewed mirror did not reflect reality.

Jaroslav Halada

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