About the Czechoslovak 1000 mile race and a gospel concert

1000 Czechoslovak miles 2023 photo source: AMK archive

The Autoclub of the Czech Republic is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year. On Wednesday, May 15, from 5:30 p.m., he invites the general public to a lecture about the legendary Czechoslovak 1,000 Mile automobile race. The lecture is followed by a concert by the Rainbow gospel choir from 7:30 p.m. The evening will thus prepare visitors for a unique combination of mobile cultural heritage, spiritual music and architecture. The event is taking place as part of the accompanying program of the Open House Prague 2024 festival, which also includes tours of the clubhouse of the Czech Auto Club on the weekend of May 18 and 19.

All partners will commemorate their anniversaries together with the Autoklub ČR. The Open House Prague festival celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. Rainbow gospel, a choir with a band, has been performing for twenty years. Ninety years have passed this year since the most successful year of the Czechoslovak 1000 miles. It was in 1934 that this race, over which the President of the Republic TG Masaryk held the patronage, had the best cast. Petr Kožíšek from the National Technical Museum, author of an excellent monograph on this enterprise, will tell an engaging story about its history.

Today, the Czechoslovak 1000 miles is held as a memorial drive of historic cars and is one of the most prestigious veteran competitions in our country. It regularly starts in the same settings and according to the same scenario as it used to be. Opletalova street in front of Autoklub ČR will turn into a racing depot on Wednesday, June 12, from 12:00 p.m., the next morning, from 6:00 a.m., cars will start heading for Bratislava. The route copies the former itinerary as much as possible.

The lecture and concert will take place in the Smetana Hall of the clubhouse of the Autoklub ČR. Spectacular spaces perfectly suited for music are part of a representative residence designed for the Autoklub in the 1920s by architect Pavel Janák. The Rainbow gospel choir, accompanied by a five-member band led by conductor Julie Bergerová, has in its repertoire both classic and contemporary gospel songs, but also includes some pop pieces in non-traditional choral arrangements. Their performances are energetic, they love to sing and transfer this joy to the listeners. Rainbow gospel is celebrating twenty years on stage this year and thanked its fans for their long-term support with the third album Colors released last year.

Free entry.