Domek Boženy Němcové

About the museum

Božena Němcová lived in Červený Kostelec from autumn 1837 to April 1838. After her marriage to the financial respicient Josef Němec, the couple rented a small flat in the merchant’s house of Augustin Hůlka. The writer later returned to this period in her short story Chudí lidé, in which she described the life of a small town and the merchant’s shop on the ground floor of the house.

The townspeople did not forget the writer’s stay. A memorial plaque on the house was unveiled in 1912. In 1942 a small room in the attic dedicated to Božena Němcová was created by members of the local museum society; it contains, for example, the original shop counter, which the couple used as a linen chest. From 1962 the ground-floor rooms were also opened, with a display of period furnishings and spinning work typical of the town in the first third of the 19th century.

Around the turn of the 1970s and 1980s the exhibition was not accessible because of the building’s technical condition. The house was then managed by the Božena Němcová Museum in Česká Skalice, and since 1999 it has been looked after by the Municipal Cultural Centre in Červený Kostelec. The entrance spaces were rebuilt in spring 2021 in the form of a modern merchant’s shop. Part of the visit is also a small picture gallery of the painter Gustav Vacek, and in the garden there is a symbolic grave of Viktorka, a character from Babička.

Highlights

• Period interior of the flat where Božena Němcová lived after her wedding
• Original merchant’s counter that the family used as a linen chest
• Shop on the ground floor recalling the short story Chudí lidé
• Small picture gallery of Gustav Vacek
• Symbolic grave of Viktorka from Babička in the garden of the house

Permanent exhibitions

• Božena Němcová v Červeném Kostelci – The exhibition recalls the writer’s brief stay in Červený Kostelec and her short story Chudí lidé. Visitors see the period flat interior, the original merchant’s counter and, on the ground floor, a display of a merchant’s shop and spinning work.
• Obrazová minigalerie Gustava Vacka – A small gallery of paintings by the Červený Kostelec painter Gustav Vacek is part of the tour of the house.

Operated by

Městské kulturní středisko Červený Kostelec

Admission & discounts

Admission for adults is CZK 40 and for children CZK 20. Holders of Family Passes and Senior Passes receive a discount.

Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

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Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Souvenirs are available in the entrance spaces, which were rebuilt in 2021 in the form of a merchant’s shop.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit