The unique museum complex of the National Museum forms the dominant feature of Wenceslas Square in the centre of Prague. A unique connection of the old with the new, history and present, decorative elements and brutalist austerity.
Let yourself be enchanted by the Neo-Renaissance Historic Building built in 1891 according to the plan of architect Josef Schulz, which houses 39 exhibition halls, the Pantheon and a magnificent staircase with impressive painting and sculpture decoration by Czech artists. Also don’t miss the 72 names of individuals from Czech history on the facade. In the years 2011–2018, an extensive reconstruction of the entire building took place. In addition to the overall repair of the exterior and interior, both courtyards were roofed and the dome with a unique view of Prague was made accessible. As part of the reconstruction, a unique tunnel was built, which in 2019 connected the multimedia exhibition Moments of History to the Historic Building with the New one, thus creating a museum complex with 1.2 hectares of exhibition space. In the Historical Building, you can see the natural science expositions Miracles of Evolution and Windows into Prehistory, as well as the historical exposition Czech history and thematic exhibitions.
In the New Building, in addition to exhibitions, it is possible to visit the History of the 20th Century long-term exhibition, which maps recent events from the First World War to the entry of the Czech Republic into the European Union and The Children's Museum which offers new perspectives on nature, people and their creations through interactive exhibits and game elements. Apart from that, the Brutalist building itself has a truly colourful past. The author of the project of the oldest part in the style of classical modernism was J. Rössler, a pupil of Jan Kotěra. The building, completed in 1938, served as the Prague Stock Exchange, and from 1946 it temporarily housed the parliament. However, the capacity of the building was insufficient to meet their requirements. Therefore, at the end of the 1960s, architect Karel Prager together with Jiří Kadeřábek and Jiří Albrecht expanded the original building with a unique superstructure made of steel beams. In the years 1995-2009, Radio Free Europe broadcast from the building, which saw the vote on the leading role of the Communist Party, as well as politicians such as Mitterrand, Kohl or Elizabeth II. It has been under the management of the National Museum since 2009.
Museum Complex of the National Museum