Padesát příběhů exponátů – Francev Vladimír (2018)

A publication mapping the history of the Military Technical Museum in Lešany, an exhibition of the Military History Institute in Prague, using a selection of interesting collection items from its holdings as an example. The author participated in the creation of this museum and, based on his memories and research in archives, took it upon himself to present to readers its more than twenty-year history and current presentation of the collections. The introductory chapter discusses the military past of the Lešany barracks complex from World War II until 1994, when soldiers were replaced by museum staff, who gradually built the exhibition of artillery, automotive, and heavy combat technology. The second chapter outlines the general history of military museums in Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic from the establishment of the independent state to the present day. The main part of the book consists of fifty stories of exhibits, recounting their technical, combat, and museum past, which includes practically fifty percent more specific collection items. The first part with an introduction is dedicated to the collection of artillery material and optics, telling the stories of thirty cannons and six rocket weapons, while the second discusses ten cars and 29 armored vehicles from the collection of heavy combat and automotive...