The National Technical Museum is opening an exhibition titled “Václav Klement – Patron of the Museum and Co-Founder of Škoda Auto,” with the subtitle “A Story That Began 130 Years Ago.”

Just like Škoda Auto, the National Technical Museum is commemorating this year’s 130th anniversary of the founding of the famous company from Mladá Boleslav. At the same time, it pays homage to its founder, Václav Klement (1868–1938), who contributed significantly to the rich legacy of Czech and international industry—not only as the leading figure of what was then the largest car manufacturer in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but later also as a major supporter of Czechoslovak technical museology and the history of technology.

The idea and execution of the exhibition, whose core is a reminder of Václav Klement’s donations and his significance as a personality, respond to these important anniversaries:

1895 – founding of the Laurin & Klement company in Mladá Boleslav
1905 – the beginning of automobile production at the Laurin & Klement factory
1925 – merger of Laurin & Klement with the Škoda Works industrial group
1935 – Klement’s most important donations to the collection and archives of the Czechoslovak Technical Museum

Through its graphic design and exhibits, the exhibition immerses visitors in the period atmosphere of the early 20th century and the 1920s. On display will be two Slavia motorcycles—two of the four Laurin & Klement vehicles that Václav Klement personally bought back in the mid-1930s through newspaper advertisements and donated to the Czechoslovak Technical Museum in 1935. The exhibit will also include the original desk and chair from Klement’s private study, as well as his 1939 portrait by Božena Vohánková (on loan from the Mladá Boleslav Museum). The exhibition also briefly recalls the enduring reputation of the Laurin & Klement brand, which persisted for many decades after its actual dissolution.

The exhibition, located in the Small Gallery of the “Architecture, Construction, Design” display, will run until 15 March 2026. It will be accompanied by a publication of the same name in the NTM Reburber newsletter series, issue number 19.