The Ethnographical Museum – Musaion

Finding the Ethnographical Museum proved a challenge in itself, especially if you are relying on Google Maps to guide you. Luckily for you, we have forged the way! First off, DON’T USE THE ADDRESS LISTED ON THE NATIONAL MUSEUM HOMEPAGE. As illogical as that sounds, the location of the museum is actually in a differently addressed building. Use the one provided here!

First take the green line (Line A) to Mustek, exit towards Vaclavske Namiste, where you will take Tram 9 to stop: Svandovo Divadlo. Once off the tram, turn towards your right and cross the street towards the Petrin Gardens entrance. Keep on walking up the slope (veer left), all the way to the top where the beautiful Villa Kinsky building sits. This building is home to the Ethnographic Czech folk culture exhibition, Life in the Czech Countryside, as well as a temporary exhibit displaying artwork of Czech children.

Entrance to Petrin Gardens from Svandovo Divadlo

The initial walk up through the park was relaxing in that it felt very quiet and slightly secluded from the busy street below. A few picnickers were reclining on the grass, and the grounds were pretty well maintained. Lush.

The Villa Kinsky was once a summer house for the Kinsky family in the 19th century, however the land now belongs to the city and has housed the ethnographic museum since 1901. The setting felt rather unique as compared to traditional museum locations, and the overall feeling was bright and welcoming (almost as if walking through a real home!) rather than a stuffy institution.

Villa Kinsky, atop the hill

The first room up the staircase was holding the children’s artwork, and it was an unexpected exhibition for us. While it had charm, we could not understand the theme or purpose as there was absolutely no English information. However, it was refreshing to see some children artwork from another cultural perspective.

Children’s artwork exhibit

Children’s artwork exhibit

Walking into the first display room of the Czech folk lore collection had a very humble feeling. We could really get the sense of the simple lifestyle of a typical farmer attire, as well as the basic tools of everyday life. As the exhibition progressed, we were exposed to more detailed and elaborated aspects of life, ranging from event clothing (holiday, religious, wedding, etc.) to traditional decorative pieces. When entering each room, there were English and Czech summaries of the collection and time period, however the individual artifacts were only labeled in Czech. We could get a good general introduction on the collections, but it was hard to place the significance of every item.

The collection was nicely arranged, and we could see the progression in style of the Czech people. The mesh of cultural and religious beliefs was well portrayed, as we could see how despite the spread of Christianity, the Czech people maintained some of their cultural roots by carrying on the use of traditional masks and costumes during holidays/celebrations.

One of my favorite pieces: a city diorama at Christmastime

The very last exhibit of the museum was the “Life in the Czech Countryside”. This portion of the museum is very family-friendly and interactive, as it is life-sized replica of a farm and country housing. There are farm animal soundboards playing in the background, and you can even listen to a traditional shepherd bugle call. In addition to “milking a cow”, you are able to see and touch some authentic grains, furniture, and tools of the time. We could easily see children being entertained with this exhibit.

The rustic collection of a Czech farmer lifestyle

Life-sized replica of farm and stables

We left with a better sense of the culture behind the traditional Czech style, and as such would recommend this museum for people seeking a more in-depth knowledge of Czech people and culture. It is rather small, so you could easily view the collection in under an hour, and then relax at the outdoor cafe located on the Villa grounds.

Cafe on a terrace