Reflecting back on Alexas’ and my first week of our internship with the National Museum, there was one trip outside of Prague that really sticks out in our minds. We went along with a few other coworkers to see the central depository of the NM, which is located in Terezín, a former military fortress garrison during the years prior, during, and after WWII. The city itself has some heavy atmosphere hanging over it, and despite the perfect sunny weather when we visited, we felt emotionally drained by the end of the day.
I wrote another blog previously on our visit, but it was more focused on the Theresienstadt concentration camp in the town, which the main reasons tourists would visit there. Read my impressions here.
Getting to Terezín is easy from Prague, you just need to catch a bus for 75 CZK one way from Nádraží Holešovice to Terezín. Check out jizdrirady.cz in order to find routes, times, and prices for traveling in Czech Republic.
As for the depository, that was an experience in itself. As we are interning as a part of the department of Digital Asset Management and New Media we were given a closer look at the digitization process of the collection. We got to see many rooms filled with stored items, items being prepared for restoration, or future exhibition items. One of our new acquaintances was explaining her role in photographing and digitizing certain collection pieces, and it was impressive to see all the camera equipment and the professional layout of her studio.
I could compare her process of manually photographing each piece and editing the photos, as opposed to the book digitization process of the National Library (which was another trip Alexas and I experienced the day before). This type of careful digital recording and uploading seems to take considerable effort and time, but it is paid off in the preservation of delicate materials and pieces.
It is due to this careful recording of materials that the National Museum is able to present virtual tours of their collections and locations on their website. While they are maintaining some secrecy with the entirety of their collection, there is becoming a larger and larger cache of digital material for the average museum patron to enjoy off site of actual museum locations. It is a very futuristic approach to museum going, and is a great alternative to those who are unable to make the physical trip to the museum.
Prague Travelers 