Aug 15 2008
Prague Museums Tour
Summary
Find a wide variety of museums in Prague covering almost anything you can think of: national history, communism, historical Czech art, music, literature. To see all of Prague museums would take several days. Read here more before you start your museum tour.
The rich artistic heritage of Prague and the Czech lands can be admired in Prague’s many museums and galleries which are visited by crowds of tourists staying in Prague hotels for holidays. The numerous expositions of Prague museums contain extensive collections of art of all styles and eras, ranging from fine art to applied arts to sculpture, and spanning over two millenniums.
In the Czech Republic the major, oldest (1818) and best-known museum is the National Museum. The Czech National Museum is placed in an imposing building of classical-style facing the Wenceslas Square in Prague. You can get there by Metro line A and C Muzeum station or by Tram 11. The museum integrates a wide collection of prehistoric artifacts from Bohemia, Moravia, and Slovakia, as well as exhibits on mineralogy, paleontology, zoology and anthropology.
Museum of the City of Prague has permanent collection documents of the history of the city from its foundation in the ninth century to the present day. The most famous exhibit is a 20-square-foot (two square-meter) model of Prague constructed over an eleven-year period in the early nineteenth century by Antonin Langweil, which provides visitors with a glimpse of the beautiful, inaccessible architecture that is hidden behind high walls.
Jewish Museum - you can visit the Maisel Synagogue (History of the Jews in Bohemia and Moravia of the 10th – 18th century), the Spanish Synagogue (History of the Jews in Bohemia and Moravia – from emancipation to present time), the Pinkas Synagogue (A memory of Czech and Moravian Jews who became victims of the Holocaust. In total, the museum is made up of six historic sites, giving visitors a real picture of Jewish life and culture in Prague over the centuries - including the dark years of Nazi occupation and World War II.
The Mucha Museum takes you in a trip to discover the works of the amazing Czech artist, Alphonse Mucha (1860 - 1939), the Master of Art Nouveau. You may find this museum in a building of the 18th century named Kaunitz Palace in the very heart of Prague. The museum is especially about the life and work of Alfons Mucha, the famous Czech painter who was the defining artist of the art nouveau movement in France, and who spent his last years in Prague decorating various buildings and landmarks in his unique style.
Kafka’s Museum is the museum you totally can’t miss. This exceptional project, was originally started in Barcelona in 1999 and has been brought to the writer’s birthplace and the city where he had strong ties. The museum is many times compared to an idea of Kafka’s world, something like the recreation of his own sub-conscient. This Prague museum is a entire sensorial understanding that will give you a consistent knowledge about, not only Kafka’s work as his own life. If you have already read any of Kafka’s books and know about Kafka’s work and life then you will open yourself to these sensorial provocations and connect them to his book stories.
Bertramka: Mozart and Duseks Museum. The Villa Bertramka is a beautiful place connected with one of the greatest composer in the world: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was here that Mozart ended the score of Don Giovany shortly before its memorable first on October 29, 1787. The compilation of Mozart memorabilia is very small, but the rococo architecture and peaceful gardens more than pay off, offering visitors an occasion to experience what kind of beauty inspired the maestro’s work.
The Museum of Communism in Prague display case memorabilia from this period between1948-1989. The Museum of Communism is located in na Přikopé Street, just a block from Václavské náměstí (Wenceslas Square) and next to Mc Donald’s. The Museum of Communism in Prague shows the history of communism especially in Prague but also in the Czech Republic. It offers a look at the conjecture and the reality of communism, as well as the impact it had on all aspects of life in the Czech Republic. The slogan of the Museum of Communism is: “Communism- the Dream, the Reality, and the Nightmare,” whish indicates the array of themes the museum covers. With may different media supports from video clips to historical memorabilia to a replica of a communist interrogation room, the museum supply a thorough yet light-hearted depiction of life under communist rule. The Communism cannot disappear from the earth without leaving behind an indelible memory of its horrors, because it’s important not to forget what happened once so it never happens again.
These are the main museums of Prague, though there are much more museums and galleries. To see all of Prague museums would take several days of staying in Prague hotels for vacation. If you are interested in some specific area, you will easily find museum in Prague for your interests.