MUSEUM OF EASTERN BOHEMIA (MUZEUM VÝCHODNÍCH ČECH)

Between Velké Náměstí and the Elbe River, heading towards the New Town and the Elbe River, one can admire the facade of the East Bohemian Museum, designed by the man who is considered the father of modern Czech architecture, Jan Kotěra. This beautiful Art Nouveau building tinged with many other influences, including industrial, and is worth a visit on its own. The museum reopened in 2019 after years of closure for restoration and houses some very nice collections, especially on local history with a large department devoted to archaeology and finds made at the various research sites in and around Hradec Kralové. The scenography is well worked as well as the lights, to highlight the most beautiful pieces of the collection. Numerous photos, films and other testimonies of the period allow us to trace the growth and urban transformation of the city, but also the damage inflicted by the wars at different times until the reconstruction of Hradec. On the upper floors, the collections are oriented towards art, numismatics and ethnography, with many new items acquired during the restoration of the museum. Finally, the last floor is dedicated to a reconstruction of the city at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century with its cinema, its apothecary, its school... We stroll through furniture and objects of the period for a nice trip in time. The temporary exhibitions are also of excellent quality.