Hidden treasures come to life
On 1 December, the Škoda Museum opened a new exhibition called Sleeping Beauty, which reveals rare cars from the brand’s history. A total of 23 gems, mostly in as-found condition or partially renovated, are presented in a so-called ‘garage’ style. For the new exhibition, the Škoda Museum used the original, older part of the V4 building, placing the selected items on its renovated ground floor.
Hidden Treasures Come to Life
The Škoda Museum has opened a new exhibition called Sleeping Beautiesy in the former V4 building, which showcases rare cars from the brand’s history.
As part of the celebrations marking 130 years since the company was founded, the Škoda Museum is opening a new, unique exhibition. It is a depository located in the historic factory hall of the carmaker, housing 23 automotive gems from the history of the brand. On 1 December, the museum opened it to the public in a new exhibition in the V4 building, located near a complex of historic Škoda Auto buildings, which also houses the main exhibition of the Škoda Museum. While visitors can access the main exhibition at any time during opening hours, visits to the new depository must be booked in advance. Half-hour guided tours are available free of charge until the end of the year, after which there will be a surcharge of CZK 100 on top of any ticket to the Škoda Museum.
The Škoda Museum’s new depository with 23 historic cars is open to the public.
Unique specimens and a concept car
The new exhibition features 23 exceptional cars, most of which are in as-found condition or have undergone partial restoration. “The cars are on display as they were found after many years in various forgotten corners or barns and were acquired for the museum’s collections,” says Michal Velebný, Coordinator of GKM/3 – Restoration Workshop, about the concept of a garage-style exhibition. Some of the specimens may end up in his workshop, but for now, they are on display in an exhibition that evokes a garage atmosphere.
The carmaker emphasises the historical value of the cars on display. Visitors will find a brief description of every specimen, with more detailed information available after scanning a QR code. Similar to the museum’s main exhibition, the new depository will feature a certain rotation of the cars on display as well. “Opening the depository is part of a greater plan by the Škoda Museum to further open itself to the public and fans of automotive history,” says Andrea Frydlová, Head of GKM – Škoda Museum, about the new addition. This is precisely what the PPB – Construction and Infrastructure Planning department was involved in when preparing the exhibition. “Our department was responsible for the building alterations, which took place from June to October this year. During the required work, we preserved as much of the original structures as possible, and we carefully restored them. Interestingly, there is another space above the exhibition, which we stabilised and prepared for future use. Works are currently underway on the second stage, namely the high V4 hall. Another exhibition will be located there, which is expected to open in February 2026,” says Tomáš Blažek, Coordinator of PPB/3 – Buildings Planning Zone A.
In 2026, the Škoda Museum plans to open a hall where visitors will be able to admire prototypes, design studies and concepts from the 1950s to the present. This will significantly expand its publicly accessible exhibition, which currently features 60 exhibits in an area of approximately 1,800 m².
History window
The new Škoda Museum exhibition, featuring vehicles (and other items) in as-found condition, is located in the old factory, specifically in the V4 building. This is part of a complex that the founders of the carmaker, Václav Laurin and Václav Klement, gradually built at the beginning of the 20th century. The local brick buildings marked the move of the Laurin & Klement brand to what was then a modern and stable environment. The construction of the building, which we currently refer to as V4, took place in 1906, and production began there in 1907. The founders of the carmaker had a forge built here, so they installed furnaces, presses, anvils and a large drop hammer, which the employees used to carry out the basic production steps. The drop hammer enabled the mass production of large metal parts for cars. The work in the plant was very demanding, with workers doing most of their work manually.
The V4 building also housed a paint shop and an engine brake, where engine performance was measured and checked before the engines were installed in the chassis. The V4 building took on its current form between 1911 and 1913, when the original courtyard was roofed over. The V4 building was used for car production until around the mid-1960s.
The new Škoda Museum exhibition is located on the ground floor of the original older part of the V4 building.
Tip
Read the article Then and Now #4: Buildings V4-V8, which maps the history at Škoda Space.
Exhibition