"A Life Dedicated to Praga Cars. A Tribute to Emil Příhoda" Exhibition Opens At NTM

PRAGUE, 18 June, 2025 -- A new temporary exhibition has been opened at the Národní Technické Muzeum (National Technical Museum) in Prague dedicated to Emil Příhoda, the world renowned Praga collector.

The Museum has recently acquired 15 cars from his collection and there are eight of these cars shown. "Visitors can admire touring and utility models produced between 1921–1946, including the luxury Praga Grand, Mignon and Golden cars, the iconic small Praga Super Piccolo car, the Praga AN utility vehicle and the Praga AN bus. The ninth car on display is a borrowed Praga Alfa, Emil Příhoda's first Praga car. This exhibition is a tribute to the Praga brand, which stood at the pinnacle of the Czechoslovak automotive industry, and at the same time pays tribute to the man who was responsible for preserving its legacy for future generations".

"First of all, let me pay tribute and deep respect to Mr. Emil Příhoda, who has been dedicated to the collection and documentation of 'Praga', a very unique car manufacturer for almost 70 years. I came to know Emil Příhoda as a very tenacious, hardworking person and also as the author of many publications, the most important of which is the book 'Prage - ninety years of car production'. I am therefore very pleased that we can at least partially present Emil Příhoda's life's work. I would also like to thank the Ministry of Culture for its support in acquiring and presenting part of the exceptional collection of 'Praga' cars by collector Emil Příhoda, which will significantly expand the existing collection of cars of this brand in the collections of the National Technical Museum. A hundred years ago, Praga was the most successful brand on the domestic car market and until the 1940s produced very reliable cars of its own design. One of them is the popular Praga Super Piccolo model, one version of which became the first car with an aerodynamic bodies manufactured in Czechoslovakia. Among the cars is a Praga Mignon converted into a hearse or Praga Lady ambulance,” said Karel Ksandr, General Director of the National Technical Museum.
“I am very happy about the new additions to the collections of the National Technical Museum. Fifteen historic ‘Prague’ cars will certainly become another visitor sensation. Especially since these are cars from the legendary collection of Emil Příhoda, a tireless collector and savior of these cars, who devoted seven decades of his passion to this. The expanded exhibition is a worthy tribute to this legendary brand and Emil Příhoda,” says Minister of Culture Martin Baxa.

"In the 1920s and early 1930s, the Prague car factory Praga held the top spot in sales of passenger cars and trucks in Czechoslovakia and exported its cars abroad. Since 1957, Mr. Emil Příhoda from Prague has devoted his life's effort to documenting production at the Praga car factory. Over the course of more than six decades, he has built a collection that is remarkable not only for its scope but also for its breadth of scope. He saved an extensive collection of objects of significant cultural value, many of them at a time when they were critically threatened by physical liquidation. Thanks to him, they have been preserved, and he deserves respect and support from society for this," said Petr Kožíšek, curator of the NTM car collection.

The exhibition will run from June 18, 2025 to March 1, 2026

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