Animation of the Museum of Artistic Cast Iron in Komárov

For several decades, the Museum of Artistic Cast Iron in Komárov has been striving to provide quality and effective information on metallurgy (not only in the Komárov region), artistic cast iron objects, and the history of the town (formerly the municipality) not only to tourists, but also directly to the inhabitants of Komárov. To this aim, it organises animation projects, sets up short-term and long-term exhibitions. The available information shows that the attendance at some of these events is below its potential level compared to the past, thus the museum is facing a decline in attendance. At the same time, there is no data that reflects the opinion of local citizens about the museum and the cast. This work aims to analyse the current animation activities of the museum, to obtain information and opinions from local residents and finally to determine the most optimal strategy (animation, marketing) that would lead to higher attendance at the museum and to the strengthening of the cultural value of the art cast iron and the associated cultural identity. The thesis uses qualitative research in the form of semi-structured interviews and quantitative surveys among local citizens. The analysed data show that the artistic cast iron is indeed a part of the cultural memory of a part of Komárov residents and that it forms a segment of their local identity. From the point of view of the sample of citizens, the animation museum programme should be a Saturday recurring event with historical interpretation, refreshments, live music and a programme for children to introduce the new temporary exhibition. However, general modernization and a comprehensive approach to marketing would also contribute to increased visitation.