CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library has confirmed the visit of the presidents of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, echoing a monumental day that took place more than 25 years ago.
On a chilly day on Oct. 21, 1995, U.S. President Bill Clinton, Czech President Václav Havel and Slovak President Michal Kováč visited Cedar Rapids to dedicate the museum’s new building in Czech Village.
See more: Museum marks anniversary
This fall, Czech President Petr Pavel and Slovak President Peter Pellegrini plan to be in Cedar Rapids for the dedication of the museum’s new Buresh Immigration Tower on Sept. 27, 2024. An invitation also has been extended to former President Clinton. Havel died in 2011 and Kováč in 2016.
The museum is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
The clock tower, at the entrance to Czech Village, is shown under construction in May 2024 in Cedar Rapids. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
A $1.6 million transformation will turn the clock tower, installed in 1995 along the historic business district on 16th Avenue SW, into an “orloj” clock, modeled after the astronomical clock in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.
Cecilia Rokusek, the museum’s president and CEO, said the Buresh Immigration Tower, named in honor of Ernie Buresh, will represent the story of people who immigrated to the United States.
Twelve figurines — each almost 4 feet tall — will be added on two carousels on the clock tower to reflect immigrant stories, with a farmer, a coal miner, a meatpacker, and other sculptures representing those who came to the United States from Czech, Slovak, Moravian and other lands.
The figurines will rotate on the hour to the music of Czech composers Antonin Dvorak and Bedrich Smetana.
See photos and learn more about plans for the clock tower.
[…] Story continues […]