Minister Lipavský officially opened the Czech National Pavilion at EXPO 2025. Nearly 15,000 people visited on the first day

“Czechia’s participation at EXPO is an investment in our relationship with Japan and other partner countries. Our pavilion stands out not only for its architecture and use of wood and glass, but also for the way it presents Czechia—through paintings and music, as well as Czech beer, cuisine, and a rich cultural programme,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Lipavský.

Minister Lipavský officially opened the Czech National Pavilion together with Commissioner General Ondřej Soška, Czech Ambassador to Japan Martin Klučar, President of Daisue Kazunori Murae, founder of CTP Remon Vos, and Deputy Secretary General of EXPO 2025 Manatsu Ichinoki by cutting the ceremonial ribbon. The official part of the programme continued in the multifunctional Daisue Hall, beginning with national anthems, followed by speeches and a piano performance by Ivo Kahánek. For lunch, visitors were served traditional smoked meat with dumplings and sauerkraut, alongside bao dumplings with pulled pork.

In the afternoon, the pavilion opened to the public—visitors could enjoy the Czech restaurant and explore the permanent exhibition inspired by the philosophy of Alfons Mucha and his unfinished triptych The Three Ages. The exhibition was created by painter Jakub Matuška aka Masker, whose work is complemented by unique installations from renowned Czech glass artist René Roubíček and audiovisual content by the Czech studio Lunchmeat. The pavilion also features a Czech restaurant adapted to Japanese visitors. On the opening day, nearly 15,000 people visited the pavilion. A total of 1,500 beers were poured and 700 meals were served—despite the extremely rainy and chilly weather, the first visitors were undeterred.

Over the next six months, the Czech Pavilion will host a variety of cultural performances—from Czech music to theatrical shows and other live acts. “The first of these performances were piano concerts by Ivo Kahánek, which were packed to the brim and drew enormous interest,” said Ondřej Soška, Commissioner General of the Czech participation at EXPO 2025. A key part of the programme will also focus on presenting Czech innovations, sector-specific showcases of Czech companies, presentations of Czech universities, and promoting Czechia as a travel destination.

“I’m truly glad that the pavilion is standing, everything was completed on time, and yesterday we were able to welcome our first visitors,” Soška added. “We have an exclusive location with a view of the Japanese organisers’ evening audiovisual spectacle, the Air & Water Show. Alongside Minister Lipavský, it was admired yesterday by Osaka Governor Hirofumi Yoshimura and Osaka Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama. This project has been a major challenge for all of us, and the road to making it a reality was not always easy—but I deeply appreciate the support of everyone involved, including our partners, without whom Czechia’s presence at the World EXPO would not have been possible,” concluded Commissioner General Soška.

About the Czech Pavilion at EXPO 2025 In December 2022, after more than twenty years, the Office of the Commissioner General announced an open, anonymous architectural competition to design the National Pavilion for EXPO 2025. Thirty-eight studios have participated, and in March 2023 a jury of experts led by the world-renowned architect Eva Jiřičná selected the winning design: a glass spiral by Apropos Architects. The main structure of the building will be made of modern wood panels, while the façade will feature art glass, which has a centuries-old tradition in Czechia. The National Pavilion, which will be located on the artificial island of Yumeshima in Osaka Bay from April to October 2025, will provide a prestigious setting for Czech participation at EXPO 2025. The pavilion will house a permanent exhibition, a multifunctional auditorium, facilities for business meetings, restaurants, a CTP lounge, and a relaxation area overlooking the sea.

About the Czech participation at EXPO 2025 This will be the sixth time that Czechia has taken part in a world exhibition as an independent state. Ondřej Soška, who won the Ministry of Foreign Affairs selection process with his concept and theme "Talent and Creativity for Life", has been serving as Commissioner General since September 2022. Czechia aims to showcase not only what the Japanese already know and admire, such as Czech glass and classical music, but above all Czech innovations, nanotechnologies, promising start-ups and talent from the regions.