The exhibition is being held on the 500th anniversary of the accession of the House of Habsburg to the Bohemian throne and the establishment of the Habsburg monarchy within Central Europe. In 1526, when Louis II of Bohemia and Hungary died in the Battle of Mohács against the Ottomans, Ferdinand I, as the husband of Louis II’ s sister Anne Jagiellon, was elected King of Bohemia and Hungary. It is Queen Anne who is the subject of this exhibition, which presents her character and the significant historical role she played within the Habsburg-Jagiellon dynasty. The exhibition provides a unique opportunity to gain an insight into the chequered and often demanding life of the queen, associated with multiple duties, frequent travels, and the motherhood of fifteen children. Her story is presented within the context of the time, characterised by the ever-present danger of Ottoman incursions, the spread of reformist religious ideas, as well as the expansion of humanism and the Renaissance. The exhibition also provides an insight into the queen’s private life, in which she is given the opportunity to speak through her correspondence.
An important theme within the exhibition is architectural and artistic production in Bohemia and Central Europe, to whose flourishing the Jagiellonian and Habsburg dynasties contributed significantly. This is represented by the most prestigious works commissioned by Ferdinand I, Anne, and their closest circle, made by the most eminent artists of the day: Lucas Cranach the Elder, Conrat Meit, Hans Maler, Jakob Seisenegger, Albrecht Dürer, Titian, and others. One part of the exhibition also presents the transformation of Prague Castle, which was one of the main seats of the royal couple.
More than two hundred rare exhibits are loaned from a range of national and international institutions, including the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Zamek Królewski na Wawelu, and others. A catalogue will be published on the occasion of the exhibition, featuring texts contributed by more than fifty experts from the Czech Republic and abroad. Accompanying programmes will also be prepared for schools and for individual visitors of all age groups.
