The best museums Czech Republic

This museum located in the center of Prague on Narodnic was created by Miloš Křeček, a Lego fan. The museum defines itself as the largest private Lego collection in the world, with over 3,000 constructions on display on the first floor. Admire Prague classics like the Charles Bridge and the Astronomical Clock, or more thematic constructions around the railway world, Star Wars or Harry Potter. A room with interactive games is dedicated to young children. In figures, then: 420^m2 with more than 1,000,000 Lego pieces!

This museum opened in Malá Strana in 2020 and presents the famous Czech plum liqueur, slivovitz. Although little known in France, it is nevertheless a product of very high quality, which the family of Rudolf Jelínek, with its ancestral know-how, has perpetuated to this day. The museum focuses on an immersive, educational and modern experience (5D show with virtual reality, tasting...) and the result is exceptional. It also offers a very enlightening presentation of the rural history of the Czech Republic in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The building (Schwarzenberský palác) that faces Prague Castle is certainly the most beautiful Renaissance palace in Prague. It was built between 1545 and 1563 by Agostino Galli (known as Vlach). The entire facade is covered with Venetian-style sgraffito and diamond-tipped boss designs, the typical decorative element of this period, which is very nice to see from the side of Hradčanské Square and from Malá Strana's Nerudova Street where the perspective changes completely. The galleries of the Schwarzenberg Palace provide a prestigious setting for part of the wonderful art collection of the National Gallery. The other part is now on display in the Sternberg Palace. The exhibition, which will open in 2022, will showcase the works of both Czech and European Old Masters. The exhibition will feature magnificent paintings from various schools and periods from the pre-Renaissance to the Baroque. The national painter Karel Škréta (1610-1674), who is considered to have introduced Baroque painting to Prague, has his own room dedicated to him, with fifteen masterpieces to discover.

Like other buildings in the National Gallery, the visit is as much about the works on display as it is about the building itself. Be sure to look up regularly to admire the splendidly carved ceilings, and don't miss the stucco decorations, mirrors, floors and fireplaces that embellish each room.

The Jewish Museum includes the Ceremony Hall, the Upper Synagogue, the Klaus, Pinkas and Maisel Synagogues, as well as the old Jewish cemetery. So most of the sights of the area except for the Old-New Synagogue. In the synagogues, very beautiful collections of liturgical objects from all over Europe. The visit to the cemetery, as moving as it is, has lost in meditation now that the crowd is rushing along a canalized route.

Seeming to float on the Vltava River, this museum has been housed in former mills since September 2003. The works on display are those collected by the Mladek couple. These Czechs had settled in the 1960s in the United States, where they bought works by artists from Central Europe, persecuted by the communist regime. Contemporary works of art are on display that are truly worth a visit. We also come for the views of the river.

This museum dedicated to Alfons Mucha, a famous Czech Art Nouveau painter, houses a collection of nearly 80 pieces: paintings, charcoals, pastels, lithographs and personal objects. Alfons Mucha has become world famous thanks to his posters made for Sarah Bernhardt, in Paris, or his advertising posters for Lefèvre-Utile biscuits. We will also see here a video recounting his life and work. The shop is of course waiting for you at the exit...

This small museum (Muzeum hlavního města Prahy) is especially valuable for the model of the city of Prague, executed between 1826 and 1837 by Langweil, which provides historical insight into the construction of the city from the 9th century onwards. But this superb neo-Renaissance residence also tells the story of the daily life of the inhabitants of Prague. Through models, objects, clothing, reconstructed house interiors, signs, sculpted doors... Exciting.

One of the few cubist buildings in the city, built in 1911 and 1912 according to the architect's project Gočár, to house a department store. Its name (Dům U Černé Matky Boží) comes from the Black Madonna who kept the original Baroque house. She can be seen at the corner of the building. The house houses the Cubism Museum. There are Czech and international works, usually from the 20th century. Very designer furniture and objects are permanently on display.

This group of colourful buildings, which stand very tightly along a jetty at the entrance to the Charles Bridge, was originally a succession of mills on the Vltava River. Today, it is an elegant, pleasant place, where the terraces follow one another, offering beautiful views of the river. More surprisingly, it is home to one of the largest discotheques in Central Europe. But also the Smetana Museum.

The museum was established in 1928 and opened to the public eight years later. It is located in the former water tower that supplied the Old City. Here you can get to know the life and work of Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884), one of the most famous Czech composers. The exhibition is divided into several parts, retracing his life, the environment in which he grew up, the period of his musical studies and his works. You will see, presented in an original way, his manuscripts and scores, his correspondence, paintings and personal objects. A statue of Smetana, inaugurated in 1984, is posted in front of the entrance. The composer's gaze is directed towards the Vltava, the river that inspired him for his major work of the same name, part of the cycle called Má Vlast (My Homeland). You will certainly be seduced by this small panorama of the Charles Bridge and the castle, which can be enjoyed peacefully at the café terrace opposite the entrance to the museum, while humming the almost Czech hum that this piece has become.

This beautiful house, listed by the city of Prague, houses an ethnographic museum founded by its owner. VojtaNáprstek was a 19th century industrialist and traveler with a passion for the world and travel. After a trip to the United States, where he became interested in Native Americans and slaves, his collections expanded to include other cultures, notably African and Asian. We find pieces from all over the world that he spent his life collecting.

The museum (Muzeum Antonína Dvořáka) dedicated to the famous Czech composer (1841-1904) is housed in Villa America, a baroque residence built in 1720 by Dientzenhofer. The interior is filled with works of art and decorated with frescoes, the garden embellished with sculptures. The museum tells the story of the composer's life and we will find objects that sat on his desk, furniture from his various apartments. The first floor is dedicated to his work, through scores.

After a thorough renovation, the museum returned to its collections in 2022, offering a magnificent tour of Bohemia's artistic and craft treasures. Tableware, carpentry and marquetry, jewelry, clocks... A fascinating journey through glass, crystal, porcelain, wood, precious stones and metals, as well as tapestries, lace, clocks and superb furniture from different periods. The quality of the temporary exhibitions is also noteworthy.

This building was an integral part of the fortifications, before being rebuilt in the ^15th century and transformed into a late-Gothic residence. It houses the Museum of Mining in the Middle Ages, and offers a walk through one of the galleries, as well as explanations of silver mining and processing techniques. Lamps, helmets and gowns are provided at the entrance, but the visit is a little disappointing for those expecting a real descent to the bottom of a mine.

The museum, in three buildings, traces the history of this ancient royal city and its region from its origins: an exhibition takes you back to the prehistoric age, a room houses a reconstruction of a princely Iron Age tomb and a Celtic residence. These archaeological and ethnographic collections are among the most valuable in the country. The visit is well worth it in view of the number and quality of the pieces presented.