National Museum

Top choice in Prague


Looming above Wenceslas Square is the neo-Renaissance bulk of the National Museum, designed in the 1880s by Josef Schulz as an architectural symbol of the Czech National Revival. Its magnificent interior is a shrine to the cultural, intellectual and scientific history of Czechia. The museum’s main building reopened in 2018 after several years of renovation work, but the permanent exhibition is yet to be reinstalled.


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Nearby Prague attractions

1. Jan Palach Memorial

0.04 MILES

In January 1969 university student Jan Palach set fire to himself in front of the National Museum to protest against the Soviet-led invasion of…

2. Wenceslas Statue

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The focal point of Wenceslas Square is the equestrian statue of St Wenceslas at its upper (southern) end. Sculptor Josef Myslbek has surrounded the 10th…

3. National Museum New Building

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In 2009 the National Museum expanded into the ugly building next door. This so-called New Building now hosts changing exhibitions on various historical,…

4. Hotel Jalta Nuclear Bunker

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Hidden beneath the 1950s Hotel Jalta on Wenceslas Square lies a communist-era nuclear shelter that was opened to the public in 2013. The tour, led by a…

5. Wenceslas Square

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More a broad boulevard than a typical European city square, Wenceslas Square has witnessed a great deal of Czech history – a giant Mass was held here…

6. Kůň (David Černý Sculpture)

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David Černý's wryly amusing counterpart to the equestrian statue of St Wenceslas in Wenceslas Square hangs in the middle of the Lucerna Palace shopping…

7. Lucerna Palace

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The most elegant of Nové Město’s many shopping arcades runs through the art-nouveau Lucerna Palace (1920), between Štěpánská and Vodičkova streets. The…

8. Melantrich Building

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Now a branch of Marks & Spencer, this 1914 building is famous for the balcony overlooking the Tramvaj Café, where Havel and Dubček addressed cheering…