Czech Republic to the west, Pilsen, is the country ‘s largest private museum dedicated to East German – made vehicles. The owner of the museum, Pavel Krovak, gladly and enthusiastically tells about each exhibit, the history of East German automotive and is happy to give advice on how to start collecting retro cars yourself.
The Pilsen Museum “Two-Stroke Stories”, which features 16 cars, one motorcycle and many other objects, is located in a small manor on the outskirts of the city, the first information of which dates back to 1379. The manor belonged to freelancers who were exempted from paying taxes. The complex of historical buildings was purchased in 1924 by the grandfather of the current owner of the museum, Pavel Krovak, who established a cattle farm in the manor. After World War II, the property was nationalized, the buildings were thoroughly demolished and even planned to be demolished, but the Communists failed to do so. The Krovak family recovered the property in 1992 and began to restore it. There were several buildings in the complex, Krovak began to think about how to use them, until he finally decided to exhibit his car collection in the manor.
In 2007, fans of the East German car industry – Trabant in Pilsen – celebrated its 50th anniversary since the first car of this brand left the assembly line. Pavel Krovak and his friends collected 50 different “Trabant” cars, drove into a parade around the city and exhibited their vehicles in his manor for one day. After this event, he started thinking about the establishment of the Trabant Museum, and on April 30, 2015, the museum opened its doors.
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