A little-known side of Prague in its glass design

Nadia Vlnasov?talks about the Prague exhibition. By Kim Jin-ho

Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is considered by many travelers to be one of Europe’s highlights. The city boasts a rich history of over a millennia and its well-preserved architecture, including its historic center, was added to the Unesco World Heritage List in 1992.

Koreans also know Prague from the hit TV drama “Lovers in Prague,” which featured various sights around the city.

But few are aware of the other face of Prague: its modern, creative side expressed in diverse design works, including glass art, chinaware and jewelry.

Led by the Czech Embassy in Korea, the city is currently participating in the World Design Cities Exhibition, part of the Seoul Design Olympiad 2008.

“This is the first time the Czech design exhibition is held in Korea and I’m pleased to have this opportunity to present Czech design and culture to Koreans,” said Nadia Vlnasova, commercial attache at the Czech Embassy in Seoul and de facto organizer of the Prague exhibition, in an interview last Friday with the JoongAng Daily.

The Olympiad was organized by the Seoul metropolitan government to commemorate the designation of Seoul as World Design Capital 2010.

“A Touch of Praha” is intriguing visitors with its exquisite glass art, according to Hwang Seung-ho, a Seoul government official in charge of the Olympiad exhibitions.

“The Czech Embassy was very active from the beginning and it now displays as much enthusiasm as its commercial attache, and the staff are present here almost every day to promote the exhibition,” Hwang said.

While many view the current World Design Cities Exhibition as a means for cities to reveal their culture to the public, it is much more than that to Vlnasova.

“I hope that more Korean people will get to know about Prague and Czech design and culture. Furthermore, I hope the exhibition will be an opportunity to promote economic exchange between the Czech Republic and Korea so that the two parties can explore business opportunities,” she said.

The Prague exhibition has been favorably received by individuals and corporations here that are keen to buy Czech glass products and have requested the contact information of the designers and manufacturers.

Although there are as yet no Czech enterprises operating in Korea, Vlnasova said that she expects a free trade agreement between Korea and the European Union - talks for which are currently under way - to facilitate the entry of Czech companies.

By Park Sun-young Staff Reporter [spark0320@joongang.co.kr]