The Crown Jewels will be on display for the public from September 18 to 28 this year.

The Czech Crown Jewels will be on public display from September 18th to 28th this year. This annual exhibition marks a significant tradition in the Czech Republic, where these historic artifacts have been made accessible to the public since the establishment of the independent Czech state. The jewels will be ceremoniously retrieved from the Coronation Chamber in St. Vitus, St. Wenceslas, and St. Adalbert Cathedral on Monday, September 14th. For the following three days, school classes will have the opportunity to view them.

President Petr Pavel decided last year to ensure that the Crown Jewels would be displayed annually on the Prague Castle grounds. In the autumn of 2024, over 46,609 visitors attended the exhibition, while last year saw more than 51,553 visitors, including students from all over the Czech Republic. According to President Pavel, these figures confirm the public's interest in their national history and statehood, reinforcing his belief that the decision to exhibit the jewels each year is justified.

The exhibition will trace the history of the Czech coronation regalia from their storage at Karlštejn in the 16th century, through their relocation to Vienna during the Thirty Years' War, up until their ceremonial transfer back to Prague in 1791. At that time, upon the request of the Bohemian estates, they permanently returned to Prague Castle and became one of the most important symbols of Czech statehood, historical tradition, and national identity.

The architectural concept of the exhibition is being prepared by the team of the Olgoj Chorchoj studio under the leadership of Czech designers Michal Froňek and Jan Němeček. This year, according to the Castle, the exhibition will also feature the coronation robe from 1653 and other rare artifacts. Kurator Štěpán Vácha from the Institute of Art History of the Czech Academy of Sciences mentioned that the exhibition will highlight the richly decorated royal scepter and apple ordered by Ferdinand I in 1533 from Augsburg goldsmith Hans Haller. Originally personal insignia of Ferdinand I, these items replaced older Gothic scepters and apples in the 17th century and became part of the Czech coronation regalia. After a long period, the royal robe used during the coronations of Czech kings in the 18th century will once again be exhibited.

Part of the exhibition will include items related to the management and protection of the regalia, such as historical keys used by guardians of the coronation archive and regalia, which were previously used to lock a pair of doors leading to the coronation archive near the Chapel of St. Wenceslas.

Since the beginning of the independent Czech Republic, the Crown Jewels have been exhibited eight times on Prague Castle. Twice during the tenure of Václav Havel and Václav Klaus, four times during Miloš Zeman’s presidency. They were last visible in May 2016, when the exhibition lasted 15 days. The tradition of exhibiting the regalia dates back to the First Republic, with the first public exhibition taking place in 1929 to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the death of St. Wenceslas. The regalia were also made available to the public after World War II ended in 1945, twice in the 1950s (1955 and 1958), in the pivotal year of 1968, and during normalization (1975 and 1978). Each time, tens of thousands of people visited to see the regalia.

The Svatováclavská crown, scepter, and apple are ceremonial insignia that have been used for centuries during the coronation of Czech kings. Last used in September 1836 when Ferdinand Dobrotivý was inaugurated as the Czech king, they served their purpose for the last time then. His successor, Franz Joseph I, and the last Austrian monarch, Charles I, were never crowned. Today, the regalia are among the most significant symbols of Czech statehood.

In addition to the Crown Jewels exhibition, the president has also handled numerous requests for clemency. In 2024, according to the Castle, over 1,144 requests for clemency were received by the presidential office, compared to 850 the previous year. President Pavel took office on March 9, 2023. During the tenure of his predecessor, Miloš Zeman, clemency applications were initially assessed by the Ministry of Justice, and only those meeting the conditions set by the former president proceeded to the Castle. The presidential office assumed full responsibility for the clemency agenda starting in early 2024.

President Pavel granted his first four clemencies in the summer of 2024. He used his power again in March of last year, granting five clemencies. In May, he decided to halt the criminal proceedings against four members of the Czech special forces accused in connection with the death of an Afghan detainee. Four additional clemencies followed in July, and two more in November.

This year, President Pavel granted four clemencies. A five-year prison term was forgiven to an 84-year-old man convicted of fraud committed more than 12 years ago. A one-year sentence for embezzlement was also forgiven to a 27-year-old woman. The third person pardoned this year is a 37-year-old woman who had her remaining five-month prison term forgiven for failing to ensure proper school attendance for her two daughters. In the fourth case, a 29-year-old woman received a ten-month prison term forgiveness for neglecting child support for her eldest daughter.

By granting clemency, the president can stop criminal proceedings, reduce or forgive a sentence, or erase a conviction. Among Czech presidents, Václav Havel used the institution the most, granting clemency to 1,247 offenders and another 601 as federal president. Václav Klaus granted clemency in 412 cases, Miloš Zeman in 26 instances. The last communist president, Gustáv Husák, granted clemency to 2,028 individuals in 1988.