Major Přemyslid Dynasty Exhibition at the National Museum

The Přemyslids: A Ruling Dynasty and Its Era

24 April – 15 October 2026
National Museum – Historical Building
Daily 10:00–18:00

Discover the remarkable story of the Přemyslids, the dynasty that transformed the Czech principality into a kingdom and profoundly shaped medieval Central Europe, in the National Museum’s largest exhibition of 2026. Located on the ground floor of the Historical Building, the exhibition brings together more than 900 exceptional objects from almost 70 institutions in the Czech Republic and abroad, making it the most comprehensive project devoted to the Přemyslid dynasty in both a Czech and European context. Across four exhibition halls, visitors follow the dynasty from its legendary origins through the age of princes and kings to its dramatic extinction and enduring legacy under the Luxembourgs.

Among the highlights are treasures that are only rarely displayed to the public. These include the Romanesque sarcophagus of the so-called St Longinus, exhibited outside Vyšehrad for the first time and believed to have once contained the remains of a ruler; textiles from the tomb of St Ludmila; the personal ring of Přemysl Otakar I; and the sword and magnificent funerary regalia of Přemysl Otakar II. Another extraordinary exhibit is the royal crown from Środa Śląska, which can be seen only until 27 July 2026. Medieval manuscripts, archaeological finds, jewellery, weapons, coins, liturgical objects and precious textiles further reveal how Bohemia and Moravia changed between the late 8th and early 14th centuries.

Rather than presenting history simply as a succession of dates and rulers, the exhibition tells a compelling story of power, ambition, faith, family rivalries and political intrigue. It begins with the legend of Princess Libuše and Přemysl the Ploughman and continues through the conflict between St Ludmila and Drahomíra, the murder and subsequent cult of St Wenceslas, the establishment of the hereditary royal title under Přemysl Otakar I and the spectacular rise and fall of Přemysl Otakar II. The role of influential Přemyslid women, including St Agnes of Bohemia, is also explored, before the story concludes with the still-unsolved murder of Wenceslas III in 1306, which brought one of the most important ruling dynasties in Czech and Central European history to an end.