The Museum of the Moravian Wallachia Region warmly invites you to a unique exhibition that connects two seemingly distant yet closely related worlds – Moravian Wallachia and Romania – showing that culture and traditions are born not along state borders, but from the rhythm of nature and human needs.

Although these regions are separated by hundreds of kilometers and several countries, their inhabitants still understand each other without words. They are united by the shared memory of the mountains – the Carpathians. Stretching across Central and Eastern Europe, these mountains form a natural cultural axis. Whether in Moravian Wallachia or Romania’s Maramureș region, local people have faced similar conditions for centuries: harsh winters, life in the mountains, self-sufficient farming, and pastoralism.

The lives of mountain communities revolved around a cycle of extreme labor during spring and summer, when it was necessary to sow, grow, and harvest crops, provide fodder and livestock for the winter months, and survive the dark season. From these conditions arose customs and rituals which – though they may have different names and languages – share a common foundation: celebrating life, fertility, protection from evil, and respect for nature and the sacred.

In such an environment, people turned to the supernatural more often than elsewhere to protect their property, health, and lives. Whether pagans or ancient Slavs, all revered natural forces and feared evil spirits. Despite efforts by Christianity to eliminate these practices, they survived and continue to exist in folk traditions and customs, where masks, noise, and ceremonial dances played an important role.

Visitors can look forward to a rich selection of traditional masks from both regions. The exhibition also features Christmas carols, video recordings of processions, and stories that provide context for these traditions. The works of contemporary Romanian folk mask creators will also be presented. Special emphasis is placed on how these traditions have persisted into modern times and continue to evolve – including perspectives from students of the Jewelry Design and Digital Design studios at Tomas Bata University in Zlín, who have contributed a series of spatial and audiovisual elements exploring the symbolism of masks for 21st-century humans.

Our exhibition demonstrates that in mountain environments, where survival depended on mutual aid, traditions developed over centuries that – although different in detail – carry the same human experience and connect generations. Come explore with us the power of traditions linking Moravian Wallachia and Romania.

The exhibition was held under the patronage of Her Excellency Antoaneta Barta, Ambassador of Romania to the Czech Republic.

Collaborating Romanian heritage institutions: