An Unconventional Space in the Basement of the Starý pivovar Club Surprises Both Fans and Newcomers to the Life and Work of Kroměříž Native Karel Kryl.
The Karel Kryl Exhibition reflects the multifaceted personality and original work of this iconic figure—full of joy, wit, and poetry, yet also marked by sadness, sarcasm, and disillusionment. This is not a traditional museum. The unique space focuses above all on atmosphere and emotion. Through a multimedia experience, it leaves it up to each visitor to interpret Kryl in their own way. The exhibition was designed by architect Jan Konečný.
Karel Kryl was born on 12 April 1944 on today’s Březinova Street in Kroměříž, where a memorial plaque now marks his birthplace at house no. 9. His family had moved there from Nový Jičín in 1938. His grandfather and later his father ran a well-known book printing house. The print shop survived the wartime occupation but was eventually destroyed by the communist regime in front of young Karel’s eyes. His father was sent to forced labour and the family was relocated to a basement apartment on today’s Kapitána Jaroše Street (also marked by a memorial plaque and a bust of Karel Kryl). It is no surprise that these and many other painful experiences influenced Kryl’s complicated relationship with Kroměříž. His family eventually moved back to Nový Jičín.
