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Even in 2021, the exhibition activities of the National Museum were affected by the ongoing pandemic, which caused. In spite of this, during the times of the loosening of protective measures, the newly built natural history and historical exhibitions History, History of the 20th Century, Miracles of Evolution, Windows to Prehistory, and the Hall of Luminescence and the Mineral Wealth of Bohemia were opened in the Museum Complex of the National Museum on Wenceslas Square.
The exhibition called History depicts the history of the Czech lands from the 8th century until the First World War in a total of seven halls, and its scope and the number of collection items make it a unique museum project, illustrating such a long period of time. The exhibition offers the opportunity to orient oneself in Czech history and to understand not only the events as such, but also the connections between them and thus to form a holistic picture of our past. You will encounter a wide variety of exhibits, from the smallest pieces of medieval jewellery or small artefacts documenting people's everyday lives to the largest item in the form of an 18th century archbishop’s carriage, which, over exaggerating a bit, could be called a Ferrari of its time.
The permanent exhibition located in the former House of Nations of the Federal Assembly of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in today's New Building of the National Museum titled History of the 20th Century was opened to visitors on July 23rd, 2022 and it shows the story of Czech modern history since the outbreak of World War 1914 until its accession to the European Union in 2004. It was built to point out everyday life of people and the possibilities of an individual in political, social and economic upheavals, and to showcase even the most important political milestones that the Czech history has marked. In the scenographically conceived space, visitors walk through the trenches of the First World War, through the public space of a 20th century street, and also find themselves in the midst of a small-town colonial or get a closer look at the living conditions in examples of ever-changing apartments. The exhibition is complemented by several interactive lines and the emotional story of recent history offers an audiovisual time-lapse summarizing the most important events that happened in the Czech lands in a set period of time.
The new, modernly conceived natural science exhibition called The Miracles of the Evolution gives captivating stories of the evolution covered in an area of 2,000 m2 and presents the animal kingdom in such a way that you normally don’t stumble upon in museums - without shelves. Following a demanding renovation, one of the symbols of the National Museum can now be seen as well – the skeleton of the fin whale, who, together with 1,500 other exhibits, creates one of the most modern natural science expositions. Animals are presented in their natural habitat and movement, and unique and rare exhibits are complemented by brand new animal models, including a white shark, a minke whale and the world's largest model of a giant squid, which measures at 17 metres long.
In six halls, named Stepping Out in All Directions; Water, Our Element; From Water to Land; Conquering the Air; Conquering the World and The Planet of Animals, the exhibition shows the vast variety of species that have emerged as a result of different evolutionary paths. It presents some of the crucial steps of the evolution that animals have taken on their way to occupying and dominating almost every corner of our planet. It introduces the result of a long evolutionary process and explains how interesting and often very different organisms have adapted to the various conditions on Earth. Thanks to that you will be able to get a glimpse into the world of invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and, last but not least, mammals. You will walk through the animal kingdom from the smallest exhibit of the Varroa destructor with dimensions under 1 mm to the largest one, i. e. the popular, 22.5 metre fin whale.
The new exhibition also includes modern multimedia technologies - video mapping, light and sound elements, which thematically complete the atmosphere of the rooms.
In the exhibition called Windows to prehistoric times, you can admire unique exhibits in four exhibition halls that represent global milestones in the understanding of the history of life on Earth, from the Paleozoic to the Quaternary period. You will get acquainted with the Paleozoic animals first described by Joachim Barrand or you will be able to see the oldest land plant in the world, the rare Cooksonia barrandei, which dates back to four hundred and thirty million years ago. You will also get to know some of the oldest known reptiles – such as the Mesozoic sea mosasaurs – and look into the eyes of the only Czech dinosaur at this point of time, the Burianosaurus augustai, or into the scary-looking eyes of a sabre-toothed tiger. You will also discover that our territory has witnessed volcanic activity and the formation of great number of lakes and swamps. At the very end of the exhibition, you will be greeted by a mammoth with a life-sized baby mammoth and you will see the original skeleton of a woolly rhinoceros, which is unique in that it stayed wholly intact.
The exhibition entitled Hall of Minerals is located on the first floor of the Historical Building of the National Museum next to the Pantheon. It presents more than 4,000 items from a collection, which totals an incredible 100,000 minerals from around the world. This collection is the oldest in the National Museum and has been constantly expanded for over 200 years. The most interesting and beautiful minerals are exhibited in the original so-called Schulz showcases, which got their name from the architect of the Historical Building of the National Museum, Josef Schulz. The entire exhibition is arranged according to the chemical composition of individual minerals, just as it was more than 100 years ago.
The chamber exhibition Hall of Luminescence, located between the Hall of Meteorites and the Hall of the exhibition called Window to Prehistory - Quaternary part, presents a remarkable property of some of the minerals, their interaction with ultraviolet light. UV light is invisible to the human eye, but when it hits certain types of minerals, they start to emit light of different wavelengths and that we can see. This phenomenon is presented in a dark room where normal lighting alternates with short-wave and long-wave UV light. Thanks to this, one can experience a surprising colourful spectacle.
Exposition named The Mineral Wealth of Bohemia is accessible from the exposition Windows into Prehistory - Paleozoic part. Each of the four corners of the Hall of The Mineral Wealth of Bohemia is dedicated to one raw material, which was mined in the territory of our state in a considerable amount, i.e. gold, silver, tin and uranium. You can mainly see minerals (about 800 specimen) from deposits of these metals, the most beautiful of which are a part of the collection of the National Museum.
Long-term exhibitions
Exhibitions
Long-term exhibition
Exhibition
