Czech Republic

Last update: March, 2023

Last update: March, 2023

The central body of state administration for the field of culture is the Ministry of Culture (MC). The scope of the MC is defined in Act No. 2/1969 Coll. on Establishing the Ministries and Other Central Administration Bodies of the CR. According to §8 of this Act, the MC is a central state administrative body for:

• art;
• cultural and educational activity;
• cultural monuments;
• matters relating to churches and religious societies;
• matters relating to the press, including publication of the non-periodical press and other information sources;
• the preparation of draft laws and other legal regulations in the area of radio and television broadcasting;
• implementation of the Copyright Act; and
• production and trade in the area of culture.

The MC processes cultural policy, prepares drafts of acts and other legal provisions in the field of culture, and carries out tasks connected with the negotiation of international treaties, with the development of international relations and cooperation and other duties that the CR has in meeting its obligations under international treaties and membership in international organisations.

The MC supports the arts, cultural activities, and the preservation of cultural heritage with grants and contributions from the ‘culture’ division of the state budget of the CR. It establishes 31 state-managed organisations (which are founded, managed, and supported by the state) and 1 public benefit organisation, which is the International Music Festival Prague Spring (an independent non-profit organisation, where the state and the city of Prague are co-founders).

There are two state funds that operate at the state level: from January 2013 - the Czech Film Fund (previously known as the State Fund of the Czech Republic for the Support and Development of Czech Cinematography) and the State Cultural Fund of the CR. Both are founded on the basis of legislation. Administration of the State Cultural Fund falls under the authority of the MC, which is responsible for the financial management of the fund’s resources. The Czech Film Fund is an independent institution, but the MC nonetheless retains influence over it by exercising certain functions such as appointing its director, members of the Supervisory Board, and experts (see also 3.5.3).

Last update: March, 2023

The original 7 regions that were established along with districts in 1960 were cancelled in 1990. Fourteen regions were established on the basis of Constitutional Act No. 347/1997 Coll. on creating higher territorial units. The regions were created from 76 districts that were abolished when the regions were established, and they commenced activity on 1 January 2001.

The regions support the development of culture and establish regional libraries, museums and galleries, regional theatres, orchestras, and institutes of archaeological preservation from their budget. The regions also co-create the financial, conceptual, and legislative conditions for the development of culture in the region in conformity with the concepts of the government of the CR and recommendations of the MC.

Last update: March, 2023

Towns and municipalities act in conformity with the Act on Municipalities and they are responsible for the general cultural development and needs of their citizens. Some municipalities establish cultural institutions, especially municipal and local libraries, municipal galleries and municipal and local museums, theatres, orchestras, and other specialised cultural institutions. Many towns announce specialised tenders for the support of cultural projects. Some towns, especially the bigger ones, have their own cultural policy or strategy focused on the cultural and creative industries.

Last update: March, 2023

A key actor in the provision of cultural services is the non-profit sector and cultural policy is also of course shaped by civil society and initiatives in this field that have emerged over time in the CR. This sector has an influence on the transformation of the cultural policies of towns and it also influences cultural policy at the state level. The biggest influence is evident in the changes in grant and other support systems in the field of culture and in the establishment of advisory bodies and more. In connection with the COVID-19 crisis, which had an especially severe impact on the cultural sector, the main professional associations have become very active, and new structures have emerged across fields that until now had been disconnected – one example being the music sector. In response to the effects of the pandemic on culture the main objective has been to advance short-term and strategic measures designed to support and protect it, both at the state level and at the level of local self-government.

The main players in this include the Association of Professional Theatres in the Czech Republic (Asociace profesionálních divadel ČR), the Association of Independent Theatres (Asociace nezávislých divadel), The Association of Symphony Orchestras and Choirs of the CR (Asociace symfonických orchestrů a pěveckých sborů ČR) or the Czech Music Community (Česká obec hudební), which is a platform for all the main music associations, copyright organisations, and groups across the entire music sector (see also chapter 7.2.4).

Last update: March, 2023

The Ministry of Culture (MC) cooperates with other ministries and with the Office of the Government of the CR to fulfil the goals of their cultural policy – be it representation in internal advisory bodies or intergovernmental groups. It also cooperates on legislative drafts and other documents from other bodies. The most frequent collaboration occurs among these bodies:

• Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MEYS),
• Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT),
• Ministry for Regional Development,
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
• Ministry of Finance, and
• The Office of the Government.

Cooperation with the MEYS occurs mostly in the field of extracurricular children's and youth activities and in the field of education. In 2000 the MC and the MEYS established an Inter-Ministerial Committee for extracurricular artistic activities for children and youth, for education through art, for art and cultural heritage, and for education in the arts. The committee was cancelled after three years due to passivity on the part of MEYS. In 2011 cooperation was re-established. In September 2011 the Inter-Ministerial Discussion Forum on Education in the Arts and the Role of Cultural Organisations was organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs as a follow up to the outcome of the Second UNESCO World Conference on Arts Education in Seoul and Bonn. And in 2014 a round table was organised in cooperation with the Czech Committee of UNESCO on the subject Formal and Informal Education in the Arts and a round table on the Role of the Media in Education in the Arts (see chapter 5.1.). In September 2021, a Memorandum on inter-ministerial cooperation was concluded between the MC and the MEYS. The Memorandum mainly concerns the cooperation of libraries and other cultural and memory institutions with schools and educational institutions in the field of cultural awareness and reading, information and media literacy. The implementation of the key themes of the Memorandum is to be ensured by an inter-ministerial working group, which is to evaluate the implementation of the Memorandum on an annual basis.

In recent years deeper cooperation has been established with the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT) and in 2019 a Memorandum of Cooperation between the MC and MIT was signed for the purpose of creating and implementing strategies of development and support for the cultural and creative industries. The main aim of this memorandum was to contribute to the development of creativity in the field of culture and business and to increase the competitiveness of domestic cultural and creative industries through inter-ministerial instruments of support (see chapter 3.5.1). Cooperation between these two ministries was crucial during the pandemic, when a joint compensation programme COVID-Culture (for business entities and self-employed persons in the cultural sector) was established (see also chapter 2.9.).

The Council for Research of the Minister of Culture is a body that works under the MC and is composed of representatives nominated by the Research and Development Council, the Czech Academy of Sciences, the Council for Higher Education Institutions, and the Czech Rectors Conference. Its purpose is to fulfil the Inter-Ministerial Concept of Applied Research and Development on National and Cultural Identity from 2016 to 2022 in conformity with Government Resolution No. 1268 from 2013.

The MC closely collaborates also with the Ministry for Regional Development, the Ministry of the Interior, and the Ministry of Finance in the utilisation of finances from the Structural Funds, but also in other overlapping matters.

The MC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs collaborate in the conclusion of international treaties and the implementation of plans for cultural agreements and in the preparation of big cultural events and shows. MC candidates are represented in the advisory bodies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; for example, when preparing the EXPO exhibition. The UNESCO department at the MC participates in activities of the Czech Committee for UNESCO at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Important partners of the MC include some advisory and working bodies of the government of the CR; their activity is overseen by the Office of the Government. These bodies include the Government Council for National Minorities, the Government Council for Non-Governmental Non-Profit Organisations, the Government Council for Human Rights, the Inter-ministerial Commission for Roma Community Affairs or/and the Government Board for Persons with Disabilities. The MC also collaborates with regional and local authorities through their structures, like the Association of Regions of the CR and the Union of Towns and Municipalities of the CR. Regional and local authorities are the appeal body for strategic documents of the MC and they are represented in some advisory bodies of the Minister of Culture.

Last update: March, 2023

Since the beginning of the 1990s, the sphere of culture has undergone two fundamental changes: decentralisation and the re-allocation of public responsibilities. The first period was about the privatisation of cultural industries that had been subordinated to the state until 1990 (film production, film studios, book production, and the music industries, etc). State circuses and variety shows were privatised as were other cultural institutions. The second period was linked to the territorial reform of public administration in the CR.

The MC established 82 state-funded organisations in 1998. By 2001 this number had decreased to 39 and there were only 29 such organisations in 2012, when the Prague State Opera and the National Theatre were merged. The majority of these organisations are libraries, museums, and galleries that were transferred to new regions and the state kept only those of national and international importance. Currently, the MC supports a total of 31 state-funded cultural organisations.

Alongside contributory organisations, the culture sector is also largely made up of networks of private cultural institutions and organisations or associations with various types of legal subjectivity that are more or less dependent on public support. This infrastructure covers every area of culture.

In conformity with Civic Code No. 89/2012 Coll., private non-profit cultural institutions usually take the legal form of registered institutes, civic associations, public benefit organisations, foundations, endowment funds, and religious legal entities. The overall cultural infrastructure includes also cultural organisations oriented towards profit and other types of legal subjects such as public limited companies or limited liability companies. Nevertheless, other than the distinguishing feature of whether or not a given cultural institution receives support from public financial resources, there are no clear rules that determine what is or is not a for-profit organisation. 

Last update: March, 2023

Data on cultural institutions are collected in statistical surveys by NIPOS, a state organisation. The most accurate data provided by statistical surveys are on the public sector. The information in Table 1 on the private sector had to be drawn from multiple sources given the considerable inaccuracy of data from statistical surveys on this sector. Archives in the CR are the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior, not the Ministry of Culture. Some data are not tracked at all – for example, the number of concert halls. On selected areas there are comprehensive overviews of the number of institutions that differ from the data provided by statistical surveys. 

Table 1: Cultural institutions, by sector and domain

Sources: NIPOS, Basic Statistical Data on Culture 2020 and 2015; Theatre companies - Database of the ATI, IDU 2022; Annual reports of the Ministry of Culture for 2020 and 2015; Database of the accreditation archives at the Ministry of the Interior, 2022; Cinemas – Czech Film Fund, 2022; Cultural Heritage Sights – National Heritage Institute, 2022;. Archaeologial Sites -Digital archive of the Archaeological map of the CR, Czech Academy of Sciences, 2022.

[1] The National Heritage Institute does not have a list of the owners of the sites, so there is no way to determine whether the monument is owned by a public or private institution.

[2] Digital archive of the Archaeological map of the CR.

[3] Concert houses – the main concert halls for music are a mixture of public and private entities.

[4] Cinemas in the CR are not tracked according to the owner or operator but are differentiated as cinemas with continuous services, cinemas with occasional services, and outdoor cinemas (summer cinemas, mobile cinemas, and drive-in cinemas).

Last update: March, 2023

In the CR are two types of contributory organisation: organisations established by the state and governed by Act No. 218/2000 Coll. on Budget Rules and on Changes to Some Related Acts as Amended; and organisations established by a regional authority in conformity with Act No. 250/2000 Coll. on the Budget Rules of Regional Budgets and Act No. 129/2000 Coll. on the Regions, as Amended, or organisations established by a town in conformity with Act No. 128/2000 Coll. on Municipalities as Amended.

Czech public cultural institutions, and foremost among them the Association of Professional Theatres, has long been advocating for the introduction of an act on public (non-commercial) institutions in culture. This legislation is meant to address the much-discussed problems of contributory organisations in the arts.

The management of existing cultural contributory organisations of the state and of the municipalities is basically defined in political terms. Within Europe only Slovakia has organisations that are similar in legal form to the Czech contributory organisations. This is because this legal form of organisation originated within the legal system of state-socialist Czechoslovakia. It frequently happens that directors of organisations are removed and replaced without any professional justification for doing so, and this is because these organisations do not have their own governing boards. 

Since the mid-1990s, the transformation of organisations under state and municipal control has been a recurring topic. On the level of the local authorities, the municipalities changed the status of their publicly owned organisations to public benefit organisations, i.e. to independent bodies that receive public grants, and this is the only possible and suitable form for a bigger non-profit organisation according to valid legislation in the field of culture, such as theatres, philharmonic orchestras etc. This transformation is most visible in the capital city of Prague. The first period of the transformation of theatres from municipal organisations established by Prague was finished in 2004. These included 4 theatres, two of which became public benefit organisations and two became limited companies. Four-year grant contracts were made with all entities, but when they expired, it became apparent how fragile the independence of theatres can be.

The MC transformed the International Music Festival Prague Spring into a public benefit organisation, of which it is co-founder. Since 2006, according to the Act on Some Kinds of Support, the MC is able to make decisions on the division, integration, or merging of current state-managed organisations or on their cancellation. The MC’s most recent mergers involved the merging of Laterna Magika with the National Theatre on 1 January 2010, and effective 1 January 2012 the Prague State Opera was merged the National Theatre. Effective 1 January 2019 the Valach Museum in Nature (Valašské muzeum v přírodě) had its name changed to the National Open Air Museum (Národní museum v přírodě), which also assumed administrative responsibility from the National Heritage Institute for three open-air museums. The last change took place in 2021, when two new state organisations were created - MUSEum+ and the Memorial of Silence (Památník ticha).

The MC currently administers 31 state organisations, 18 of which are museums and monuments, 2 are galleries, 3 are libraries, 4 are arts institutions, and 3 have some other focus. All these state organisations have the legal status of contributory organisations. 

Last update: March, 2023

The Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (hereinafter referred to as the MFA), and Czech Centres are the main public actors in cultural cooperation and the promotion of Czech culture abroad.

In 2015 the Czech Government adopted the Concept of the Foreign Policy of the Czech Republic. One of the goals of the country’s foreign policy is to promote the good image of the Czech Republic within the international community. Considerable attention is devoted to the CR’s branding and various forms of diplomacy including cultural diplomacy. 

Other important actors include national organisations under the umbrella of the MC and non-governmental organisations, through which the majority of international cultural projects are implemented. These projects are supported by the state’s grant programmes and grants from regional and local authorities, as well as through foreign cultural institutions and foundations.

The Czech Centres operate under the remit of the MFA. Their mission is to promote the Czech cultural scene on the international level and to strengthen the good reputation of the Czech Republic in the world. There are currently 26 branches operating on 3 continents. At the end of 2018 the most recent branch was established when a new Czech Centre was opened in Jerusalem. Among their cultural activities Czech Centres focus on promoting every branch of Czech culture – fine art, architecture, design, fashion, stage arts, film, music, and literature. The Czech Centres are members of the European Union National Institutes of Culture (EUNIC). 

The Arts and Theatre Institute (ATI) is an organisation founded by the MC to promote Czech theatre, dance, and music abroad, among its other roles. At present it also promotes other fields of the arts, such as literature and the visual arts. The ATI organises projects abroad, such as cultural seasons, exhibitions, the publishing of books; it runs web portals in foreign languages; it also has a residential programme for artistic exchanges in all fields of the arts; and it provides financial support for the short-term mobility of Czech artists.  The institution also ensures the operation of international non-governmental organisations in the field of the performing arts and music.

In 2017 based on demands from the representatives of the music sector an export music agency was set up under the ATI: SoundCzech. The mission of SoundCzech is to facilitate the development of the Czech music industry in a wide range of genres and to support it with a variety of grants, workshops, and mentoring sessions.

In January 2017 another pro-export state agency was established: the Czech Literary Centre. The centre was set up as a state contributory organisation by the Moravian Library in Brno. Its mission is to engage in the consistent and systematic promotion of Czech literature and book culture, connect individual activities and institutions in the sphere of literary culture, and increase the visibility of Czech literature and book culture abroad and in the CR. 

NIPOS is another organisation that operates under the MC. It supports individuals’ travel abroad and through a selection procedure welcomes international artists to perform in the CR in the field of non-professional artistic activities.

Since 2002 the Czech Film Centre has been very active in the area of promoting Czech cinematography abroad. It is currently a part of the Czech Film Fund. It promotes Czech cinematography in various ways: promoting it at major international festivals and markets, publishing work on Czech film and the Czech film industry, networking, and consultation.

In October 2009, the Czech government adopted the ‘Programme of Film Industry Support’ that operates via fiscal stimuli or tax incentives. Before this no such incentive had existed in the CR that would allow foreign and Czech films or TV producers to ask for partial compensation for invested expenses on the territory of the CR.

The CR also adopted the Act on Certain Kinds of Cultural Support which provides a so-called state guarantee by providing compensation for an object on loan in the case of harm or damage during an exhibition or similar event.

Last update: March, 2023

Czechoslovakia was one of the foundation states of UNESCO and the CR has been a member since 1993. That same year it became a member of the World Intellectual Property Organisation and the Council of Europe. Since 1995, the CR has been a member of the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and the Restoration of Cultural Property. It has been an EU member since 2004.

In the 1990s significant financial support was provided by foreign cultural institutions and foundations. Some foreign institutes, like the British Council or Pro Helvetia, reduced their activities in the field of culture after the CR joined the EU; the consequence was a general decrease in possible sources of funding for support in this field.   

The Ministry of Culture is responsible for the current Creative Europe programme for the period 2021-2027. The Creative Europe Office (like the Creative Europe programme) has two parts Culture and MEDIA. The Creative Europe Desk - MEDIA is based at the National Film Archive and the Creative Europe Desk - Culture is based at the Arts and Theatre Institute. In the past the programme has supported the European Capital of Culture Pilsen 2015 and will support the future ECoC, which will be in the CR in 2028.

After 2000 the EEA and Norway Grants have become an important source of funding. The EEA and Norway Grants represent the contribution of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to reducing economic and social disparities and to strengthening bilateral relations with 15 EU countries in Central and Southern Europe and the Baltics

In October 2003 the Government of the CR signed the Agreement on the Participation of the Czech Republic in the European Economic Area (EEA). During the first operating period of this funding, from 2004-2009, the area of culture that focuses on the protection and renewal of cultural heritage received 82 974 448 EUR.

In December 2009 the CR signed the Agreement on the Continuation of the EEA Financial Mechanism and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism for the period 2009-2014. In the area of culture, a programme in the area of cultural heritage and the contemporary arts was adopted, specifically the Conservation and Revitalisation of Cultural and Natural Heritage programme area, and the Support for Cultural and Artistic Diversity in the Context of European Cultural Heritage. Three calls were announced and 21 490 000 EUR have been distributed. The programme was terminated in April 2017.

The third programme term of the EEA and Norway Grants for the period 2014-2021 is currently in progress (an eligible period till April, 2024). In the culture sector the programme is aimed at supporting restoration and innovative use of cultural heritage, cultural and creative activities, art criticism, and the capacity building of umbrella associations, networks, and platforms.

In this programme term the programme again has a specific focus in the area of culture. The CR has long been faced with several issues relating to human rights. For example, the UN has recommended that the integration of Roma citizens into society should be improved, and measures should be taken to combat racism and xenophobia. Projects in the area of the contemporary arts therefore emphasise support for the cultural production of minorities, including Roma, and address the issue of inclusion, including accessing of culture to minorities (e.g. Roma minority). The promotion of the cultural heritage of minorities, including Roma cultural heritage and inclusive activities, is emphasised in related open calls and directly supported through the predefined project (The building of a memorial to the victims of the Roma holocaust in Lety) (see also 2.5.1)..

Unfortunately, the Covid 19 pandemic has also affected the implementation of the EEA and Norway Grants. Most of the meetings, committees and seminars were moved to the virtual sphere. In order to mitigate possible complications resulting from government measures, call deadlines were extended and advance payments in projects were increased. Projects were allowed to postpone the project start date and extend the project implementation period (up to a maximum of 30 April 2024).

The most financial support for the culture sector flowing from the EU to the CR comes from the European Structural and Investment Funds (hereinafter just SF). Support from these programmes is always tied to strengthening economic growth and employment. In the 2007-2013 programme term the CR used SF primarily to support cultural heritage in conjunction with tourism (Integrated Operational Programme), but through other programmes, such as those supporting education, support also went to other projects relating to culture and the arts. In the next programme term in 2014-2020 no operational programme existed that was specifically devoted to culture. Subjects in the sphere of culture could apply for support from the programmes of other ministries, such as the Operational Programme – Enterprise and Innovation for Competitiveness (MIT) or the Operational Programme – Research, Development, Education (MEYS). Unlike many EU Member States, however, use of the SF in the culture sector is still low in the CR. The same applies for the 2021-27 programming period.

The International Visegrad Fund was founded in 2000 by the governments of the Visegrad Four (CR, Slovak Republic, Hungary and Poland). The purpose of the fund is to support closer cooperation among participating countries using cultural, scientific, and educational projects, exchanges among young people, cross-border cooperation, and the development of tourism. The fund also offers grant programmes and student and artistic residencies. The fund is frequently used in the CR.

The MC is charged with the ratification and implementation of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. The Convention was ratified in the CR in July 2010 and in 2014 the Czech Republic submitted its first evaluation report. In 2015 a representative of the Czech Republic was elected to the International Committee for Diversity (ended in 2019) (see also chapter 2.5.1.). In 2022, CR submitted its third Quadrennial Periodic Report. 

Last update: March, 2023

In the CR, there are many projects that link various networks, governmental and non-governmental organisations, and institutions dealing with cultural heritage and individual cultural projects. Useful contacts abroad were established long before the CR joined the EU. Many organisations in the CR have been members of European and international networks since the 1990s. Cooperation continued also within the frame of the international UNESCO NGOs, such as ITI, ASITEJ, UNIMA, SIBMAS, AITA/IATA and others (see also chapter 7.2.4).

There has been direct cooperation with foreign partners on hundreds of film, theatre, dance and music festivals and literary shows. The biggest and the most interesting events are often priority events of the Ministry of Culture (MC), like the International Film Festival Karlovy Vary, the International Festival for Children and Youth in Zlín, the International Theatre festival DIVADLO Plzeň, the International Music Festival Prague Spring, the International Dance Festival Tanec Praha, the Strings of Autumn Music Festival, the Colours of Ostrava Festival, the International Prague Writer's Festival, or the International Folklore Festival in Strážnice and many others.

Direct cultural cooperation is supported by grant programmes of the MC for cultural cooperation abroad but also by direct support from grant programmes for theatre, dance, music, the visual arts, architecture, and literature. Individual towns also provide grants; the majority of finances being provided by the capital city of Prague under its grant procedure. Visits of foreign artists to the CR are also supported by foreign cultural institutes and foreign representative bodies in the CR, such as the Czech-German Fund of the Future. The majority of such events combine financing from several sources. Financing from private sources is not very substantial outside the fields of classical music and film.

Since the start of the 1990s NGOs have been very active in foreign cooperation and building contacts within European and international networks, initially as individual members – for example, in the IETM performing arts network or in the field of cultural heritage. In recent years active cooperation has also been pursued through membership in and cooperation between networks in the CR and in networks abroad. Examples are the Association of Independent Theatres in the CR (Asociace nezávislých divadel CR) and the European Association of Independent Performing Arts, the Association of Professional Theatres in the CR (Asociace profesionálních divadel CR) and PEARLE or the Music Managers Forum Czech Republic and the Music Manager Forum.