Liberation Festival Pilsen in the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic

September 7, 2024, Wallenstein garden in Prague, 10 AM – 6 PM, free entry

On a year basis, the city of Pilsen uses the kindness of the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic and the unique surroundings of the Wallenstein garden to draw the attention of foreign and home visitors to prove it is a colorful destination and an interesting place to visit. Next year the City of Pilsen celebrates its 80^th Anniversary of the liberation by the US Army, and the all-day of Pilsen in the Senate wants to bring this event into focus. Military period vehicles and equipment, children´s folklore ensemble Mladinka, The Dixie Hot Licks period style music with Dance by Lion´s under tutelage of Lenka Sekaninová invite you in the Wallenstein garden to the Liberation Festival Pilsen 2025.

The all day is devised as an event for families with children, that is why the visitors may watch the performance of the Alfa Theater Mr. Kašpar and his goofy family, the Techmania Science Center show and even the coopers of the Pilsner Urquell Brewery show their mastery.

The program is supplemented by the presentation of the Patton Memorial Pilsen museum remembering the historical events of the end of the WWII, thematic exhibition Unforgettable Pilsen 1945 and last but not least, degustation and tastings of regional foods or Pilsen beer.

The purpose of the Day of Pilsen in the Senate, which has been held since 2005, is to introduce the city of Pilsen to foreign and home visitors to Prague as an ideal tourist destination with a unique history. The event is held under the auspices of Senator Lumir Aschenbrenner.

As a part of the Day of Pilsen of the Senate perform:

Children’s folklore ensemble Mladinka was founded in 1986 as Škodováček. A year later even its own children´s music came into being. From the beginning, it has been bringing up dancers and musicians for the adult ensemble Mladina – formerly Škoda Plzeň.

The ensemble is a registered association attended by around 70 children who work in two groups based on the age. The aim of the ensemble is to introduce children to the roots of our culture and bring folk art in a partially stylized form to the contemporary viewer. It mainly focuses on the stage adaptation of folk songs, dances and customs from Pilsen and Southwestern Bohemia.

THE DIXIE HOT LICKS is a Dixieland band from Pilsen made up of experienced musicians from Pilsen and the surrounding area. All are united by a love of traditional jazz and the repertoire of New Orleans Dixieland and marching bands. The band is dominated by the rhythmic part, formed of banjo, tuba and washboard, which is skillfully complemented by 3 brass in a typical team and solo improvisation. The solo singer Jana JIROUŠKOVÁ also contributes to the perfect sound of the 20s. The authentic interpretation of well-known songs such as OH WHEN THE SAINTS or BOURBON STREET BLUES, as well as the unceasing energy of the entire band, is gaining great popularity among audiences regardless of age.

Dance studio Lion’s Pilsen
The dance studio in Pilsen led by Lenka Sekaninová was founded in 2009. It offers a wide range of dance styles, professionally and lovingly conducted lessons and a community of people for whom dance is a hobby, a lifestyle guaranteeing they do their work with joy and enthusiasm. Their goal is to bring up quality dancers and to generally make young and old people aware of quality art.

The Patton Memorial Museum Pilsen commemorates the historical events of the end of World War II.
It was founded with the support of the city of Pilsen in 2005. Most of the exhibits comes from the private collections and presents visitors facts about the liberation of the city by the American army, being to allowed to be spoken during communism. In 2019, a completely new exhibition was opened on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy. It maps the path of the Allies from the landing in Normandy, through the battle in the Ardennes to the west of Bohemia. It is devoted not only to the liberation itself, but also to the post-war stay of American soldiers on our territory. Through authentic objects and memories of witnesses, it describes the war events in the west of Bohemia. The museum pays special attention to the legacy of war veterans.

Military Car Club was founded in 1990 by Mr. Milan Dlouhý and his friends. From its beginning, it was primarily focused on U.S. military period vehicles. Army. It brings together those interested in the history of the Second World War, especially the liberation of southwestern Bohemia in 1945 by the US Army. The club has got more than 100 pieces of period military vehicles, mainly represented by the legendary Jeep Willys and Jeep GPW, Dodge WC series, GMC, Half-Track, Ford Mutt M151, Jeep M 38 and others.

Theater Alfa

Theater Alfa belongs to the most successful Czech professional ensembles focusing not only on children and young people. They won many awards form international and Czech showcase, the popularity of the theatre is apparent by its Pilsen home stage sold-out performances and frequent guest appearance in Czech Republic and abroad. During the holidays, the premiere of CASLAVSKA TOKYO 1964 play took part in Japan as a co-production of the Theater Alfa and the PUK Theater Tokyo. The puppet show was presented to the Japanese audience during the first weekend of August. The play, a fiction live broadcast from the Summer Olympics in 1964, was directed by Jakub Vašíček, with three Theater Alfa actors, three PUK Theater actors and musician Daniel Čámský. The Czech premier – with the name Čáslavská – Tokyo – 1964 takes place on the occasion of the Divadlo International Theatre Festival in Pilsen and at the Theatre Alfa in September. The Theater Alfa is a frequent guest in Japan and has been cooperating with the Theater PUK since 2018. A first idea of a joint performance came up in 2021. At that time the actors missed the performance in Japan due to the covid restrictions and the ensemble had to be joined by Japan puppet masters.

Mr. Kašpar and his goofy family – traditional hand puppet theater, its aim is not to educate but to entertain and make people laugh. Kašpar and his Kalupinka have a baby! So, it will be a great farce…

Pilsner Urquell – coopers
The traditional craft of cooperage is an inherent part of Pilsner Urquell Brewery. The Pilsen brewery is the only one in the world that maintains this traditional profession and still employs coopers. Their craftsmanship is unique. At the end of 2018, cooperage was registered on the national list of cultural heritage. It is the next step towards the goal – to be included in the list of UNESCO sights and to preserve this brewing tradition for generations to come.

Pilsner Urquell – beer
In Pilsen, beer was brewed alternately by individual citizens having the brewing rights. The quality was different, which is why the idea of ​​owning a brewery with good beer is born in the minds of the citizens of Pilsen. On October 5, 1842, Josef Groll brews the first batch of the new Pilsner beer at Měšťanský pivovar (the Brewery of the Citizens´ of Pilsen), which will soon conquer the whole world.
On March 1, 1859, the brewery had the trademark Pilsner Bier – Pilsen beer registered with the Chamber of Commerce and Trade in Pilsen, and in 1898 Plzeňský Prazdroj – Pilsner Urquell.
Pilsner Urquell relies on its unchanging taste. And this is also confirmed by expert analyses. Measurements by the Swiss laboratory in St. Gallen from 1897 noted its quality parameters. The same values ​​were confirmed by its successor, Labor Veritas, in 2008. Thus, Pilsner Urquell still retains the taste that won its fame all over the world.

Regional Food of the Pilsen region
The competition takes place in all regions of the Czech Republic with the exception of Prague. Producers of agricultural and food products with up to 250 employees can obtain the Regional Food label. The awarded product gets the right to use the brand for free for four years.
Regional Food is a project of the Ministry of Agriculture. The State Agricultural Intervention Fund administers the brand. Over 1,000 products have received the logo with a symbolically depicted landscape.

Charles University Faculty of Medicine on Pilsen

was founded by the decree of the President of the Republic dr. Edvard Beneš No. 135 in October 27, 1945. From humble beginnings, the Pilsen Faculty of Medicine has become a modern university. The Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen, the only representative of Charles University in the West Bohemian region, accepts around 300 applicants for general medicine and 50 for dentistry in Czech programs each year, and around 90 for general medicine and 10 for dentistry in English programs. In total, more than 2,000 future doctors study here in all grades, as well as 200 students in postgraduate programs.
The brand-new campus of the Faculty of Medicine of the Charles University in Pilsen was officially opened in November 2022. Until then, the education of future doctors was scattered in several inadequate buildings in the city. Since that date, all the premises are together at alej Svobody in the immediate vicinity of the Faculty Hospital at the Pilsen part of Lochotín. The construction of the unique complex took ten years and cost a total of 2.36 billion crowns.
There are nine teaching institutes in the new seven-story building with a total area of ​​30,000 square meters. In addition to lecture halls and seminar rooms, students will also find a specialist library, a day room, changing rooms or a bicycle room. The main thing is hidden in the simulation center, where students practice real procedures on mannequins. At their disposal they have basic simulators for practicing indirect heart massage and artificial respiration, as well as very advanced devices, to try procedures from intensive and emergency medicine.
In 2014, the University Medical Center acquired five theoretical institutes and a research Biomedical Center. The total investment for the construction and equipment of the building came to 462 million crowns. In the next two years, the campus grew to include auditoriums for 200 people for another 54 million. The second stage, completed in 2022, required costs of 1.84 billion crowns.
Program: see below