Lapidárium (Lapidary) – Exhibition of Stone Monuments

This has been our favorite museum as of yet during our entire stay in Prague. Not an exaggeration. Alexas and I both were very impressed with not only the permanent collection of authentic statues from the 11th to 19th century, but also the arrangement and interior of the building itself. The feeling we got from standing up and close with these original statues is hard to describe beyond “awe”. It’s so neat to be able to say that we have walked along and seen the detailed features of the original statues from the Charles Bridge in Prague, while most tourists only see the copies that stand in their places. All of the originals in the Lapidarium have been removed from churches, fountains, memorials, etc. in order to preserve their already damaged exteriors. I can appreciate that there are those who are dedicated to preserving their historical pasts, if just for a few hundred more years. As an American, I know that my country still quite young and I am continuously floored by the old heritage here in Czech Republic and other European countries and cities.

The Lapidarium is also friendly for English speakers, as they have translations of the exhibition and room histories in multiple languages. A booklet filled with maps and and historical backgrounds on the rooms gave us a good understanding of what exactly we were seeing. The rooms are arranged in chronological order, so you are able to see the progression in themes and technique as you wander in a circle through the building.

It definitely had a private, intimate feeling as we went through, due in part to the lack of other viewers at the time, but just the general atmosphere. We felt at ease the whole time and were able to absorb in the striking impact the statues gave off.

It feels slightly cliche to say this, but we fully stand behind the admission that this is a brilliant hidden gem of Prague. Lovers of history, statues, monuments, and off the beaten path hot spots really should look into this place!