Czechoslovakia Pavilion at Expo 1967, Exhibition pavilion in Montreal, Canada
The Czechoslovakia Pavilion was a single-storey building measuring 51 by 33 metres, designed by Miroslav Řepa and Vladimír Pýcha after their winning entry in a 1965 competition. Its steel structure was fabricated in Brno, shipped via Hamburg to Canada, and assembled by Janin Construction Ltd. at a cost of 2.5 million Canadian dollars. Inside, exhibition halls showed the Venus of Dolní Věstonice, panel paintings by Master Theodorik, the Třebechovice Nativity Scene and glass, porcelain and lace, ending with the Kinoautomat cinema.
The pavilion was designed by Miroslav Řepa and Vladimír Pýcha, winners of a 1965 competition, and built by Janin Construction Ltd. from steel parts shipped from Brno via Hamburg. It opened at Expo 67, held from 27 April to 29 October 1967 in Montreal. Czechoslovakia first refused offers from Montreal and Gander, but after an Iljušin Il-18 of ČSA crashed near Gander on 5 September 1967, the pavilion was given to the town in thanks for help to the victims.
The pavilion displayed Bohemian glassware and introduced Kinoautomat, an interactive film system where viewers voted on the story's direction. This blend of traditional craft and experimental technology created a space where handmade art met viewer participation.
The building now stands in Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland, and operates as a public arts center. Visitors will find that the structure retains much of its original modernist design from the 1967 exposition era.
Montreal's mayor Jean Drapeau offered one symbolic Canadian dollar for the pavilion, and Czechoslovakia refused. The structure went instead to Gander, Newfoundland, after locals helped victims of ČSA Flight 523, an Iljušin Il-18 that crashed near the town on 5 September 1967. It now houses a theatre, library and gallery.
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