Natural History and Historical Expositions of the National Museum

The permanent exhibitions in the Historical and New Buildings of the National Museum will give you an insight not only into various stages of Czech history, but also into the rich and fascinating world of animals and minerals. The exhibitions also include unique animations, touch-and-feel (haptic) exhibits and interactive elements that will captivate children and adults.

 

The Historical Building of the National Museum

WINDOWS INTO PREHISTORY

THE MIRACLES OF EVOLUTION

Visit one of the most modern natural history exhibitions in Europe with the National Museum’s most famous exhibit, the skeleton of a fin whale, and other 1,500 unique objects. The exhibition called The Miracles of Evolution tells captivating stories of evolution and presents the world of animals in a way you don’t normally see in museums – without any shelves and racks. Animals are presented here in their natural habitat and motion, and the unique and rare exhibits are complemented by brand new animal models, including a white shark, a minke whale, or the largest model of a giant squid in the world, which is 17 meters long. The exhibition shows the wealth of species that have emerged as a result of different evolutionary paths.

HISTORY

Let yourself be guided through the history of the Czech lands from the 8th century until the First World War. You will see 2,000 exhibits that tell a fascinating story of our history. The History’s cope and the number of collection items make it a unique museum project illustrating such a long period of time. The exhibition offers the opportunity to orientate oneself in Czech history and to understand not only the events as such, but also the overall context, and form a complete picture of our past. You will encounter a wide variety of exhibits, from the smallest pieces of medieval jewelry or small artifacts documenting people's everyday lives to the largest item in the form of an 18th century archbishop’s carriage, which can be described with a little bit of exaggeration as the Ferrari of its time.

HALL OF MINERALS

This collection of minerals was one of the first collections to be donated to the newly established museum as early as 1818. The Hall of Mineralls was none other than one of its main founders, Kašpar Count Šternberk and as the collecting of minerals was a passion among the nobility at that time, Šternberk's example began to be followed by other donations creating the basis of today's collection. The first mineralogical exposition was opened thanks to the important Czech mineralogist Prof. Karel Vrba on the 28th of September 1892. Vrba worked closely with the architect of the entire building, Prof. Josef Schulz, and together they designed the type of display cases that can accommodate more than 4000 minerals, which can be found in this room. The whole exposition is organized in the same way as it was more than 100 years ago, and the minerals are exhibited in the original historical display cases.

LUMINESCENCE HALL

The compact Luminescence Hall exhibit presents the remarkable properties of some minerals, how they interact with ultraviolet light. UV light is invisible to human eyes, but when it falls on some types of minerals they emit coloured light, of different and visible wavelengths. This phenomenon is shown in a darkened exhibition room, where ordinary lighting alternates with short-wave and long-wave UV illumination. This allows you to experience a surprisingly spectacular panoply of colours.

MINERAL WEALTH OF BOHEMIA

Get to know the four most important ores and metals mined in the past on our territory. Each of the four corners of the Mineral Wealth of Bohemia Hall is dedicated to one of these, as mined to a significant extent in our country’s history, namely gold, silver, tin and uranium. Chiefly on display here are the minerals (about 800 samples) from the ore deposits of these metals, a selection of the finest held by the National Museum.

METEORITE HALL

The Meteorite Hall exhibit includes, in addition to the predominant meteorites, a range of impact tektites, moldavites from Czechia and abroad, as well as terrestrial rocks and impactites (rocks altered by the impact of a large meteorite). All exhibits are shown in their original restored display cabinets, dating from 1893. Taking pride of place in the middle of the room is a hexagonal showcase, featuring a 69 kg full-fragment Canyon Diablo meteorite.

 

The connecting corridor

MOMENTS OF HISTORY

The unique multi-media exhibition Moments of History in the connecting corridor between the Historical and the New Building of the National Museum. The exhibition is dedicated to the tumultuous events of the 20th century that took place in Wenceslas Square, from the foundation of Czechoslovakia to the turn of the millennium. It will also give a glimpse of the everyday life of this space and the architectural development of this place, from the 19th century to the present.

 

The New Building of the National Museum

HISTORY OF THE 20TH CENTURY

The History of the 20th century exhibition tells the story of Czech modern history from the First World War to the Czech Republic’s accession to the European Union. The exhibition is exceptional in both its scope and complexity. The variety of events and destinies of people is presented in various environments, showing the development of squares and streets, the transformation of work, commercial and cultural spaces as well as the private spaces of apartments with period furnishings. It also provides an insight into the changes in Czech and Czechoslovak politics. It represents key figures, as well as fundamental decisions of power that influenced all sections of the population. The exhibition is chronologically divided with emphasis on the historical milestones of 1918, 1945 and 1948. It also uses a number of visual and film materials to illustrate the atmosphere as well as interactive elements.

MOUSEUM

The Mouseum relaxation zone inspired by the book The Long Night of the Museum Mouse will take you to the world full of colour, imagination and playfulness. You might notice little mouse tracks on the floor of the museum. There is something for everyone. Little bookworms will be delighted by the literary corner full of books, aspiring artists can get into a creative mood and create something nice to remember. And don't worry, Mouseum has also thought of competitive or playful souls of all ages, as well as inquisitive adventurers who would like to get acquainted with other objects of the National Museum.