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Established in 1818, during the Czech National Revival, the museum stands at the top of Prague’s Wenceslas Square offering science and history artifacts to its visitors. The museum was sponsored by Count Sternberg, who was a paleontologist and a great traveler. Another famous figure, this time politician and historian František Palacký published the museum’s official magazine and also directed its historical section.
One of the permanent exhibitions covers the prehistory of Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia with a quick overview and a further look into people’s lives, including their rituals and traditions, based on archeological researches.
The museum’s department of zoology has more than 5000 exhibits including the world’s largest butterfly. The anthropology section is probably the most interesting one, and although not all on display, in one of the largest collections in the world.
Apart from the main building on Wenceslas Square, the National Museum has other exhibition locations, like the famous Naprstek Museum with an astonishing anthropology collection from Australia, America and Asian countries. Another favorite option is Lapidarium, located in Prague 7, with an exhibition of Czech sculptures from 11th to 19th century. In an international competition held in 1995, Lapidarium has been voted one of the 10 most beautiful museum exhibition sites in Europe.
Music lovers can visit exhibitions dedicated to two of the most famous Czech composers, Bedřich Smetana and Antonín Dvořák, both muzeum sites in Prague centre, giving information on artists and their lives displaying their instruments, personal correspondence and hand-written compositions of their famous pieces.
Information for visitors
Main building
Official website link: www.nd.cz/english
Address: Václavské náměstí 68
115 79, Prague 1
Phone: (+420) 224 497 111
(+420) 224 497 212
(+420) 224 497 352
(+420) 224 497 376
E-mail: nm@nm.cz
Opening hours:
May to September 10 am to 6 pm
October to April 9 am to 5 pm
closed first Tuesday of the month
Admission:
adults 100 CZK
reduced 50 CZK
under 6s FREE
family entrance (max. 2 adults, total 4 persons) 120 CZK
school groups 30 CZK per person
first Monday of the month FREE entrance
fee for taking films and photos 50 CZK
only Czech guides
single entrance ticket to all Prague objects with validity of 3 days:
adults 160 CZK
reduced 80 CZK
under 6s FREE
family entrance 200 CZK