Muzeum Boženy Němcové

About the museum

The Town Museum in Česká Skalice was founded in 1902. It gathered local relics, weapons, archival materials and ethnographic and archaeological objects. In 1919 it bought the estate of Božena Němcová from her daughter Bohdana and began to devote itself more to the writer. On 24 May 1931 the first Czech literary museum, the Muzeum Boženy Němcové (Božena Němcová Museum), was opened in the old town hall on the square.

On the centenary of the writer's death in 1962, the Steidler inn U Bílého lva (At the White Lion) in Malá Skalice was reconstructed, and the museum moved there together with its literary archive and library. A new exhibition was created there. In 1970 a bronze sculpture of Barunka Panklová by Marie Uchytilová-Kučová, financed by a public collection, was added in Jiřinka Park. For the bicentenary of Božena Němcová's birth in 2020 the interior was reconstructed and the exhibition from the 1960s was revitalised.

In 2021 an exhibition on the battle of Česká Skalice of 28 June 1866 was added to the main building. The museum also includes the gallery of Julie Winterová Mezerová and Josef Vondráček, exhibition spaces, and Barunčina škola with a demonstration classroom from the first half of the 19th century. The museum is an organisational unit of the town of Česká Skalice.

Highlights

• Exhibition on the life and work of Božena Němcová in the former Steidler inn
• Exhibition on the battle of Česká Skalice of 28 June 1866, with more than 400 exhibits
• Barunčina škola with a classroom from the first half of the 19th century
• Gallery of Julie Winterová Mezerová and Josef Vondráček
• Jiřinka Park and the educational trail Babiččino údolí (Grandma's Valley) with 25 stops

Permanent exhibitions

• Božena Němcová – The exhibition on the first floor of the former Steidler inn presents the life and work of the writer; after the reconstruction in 2020, the original exhibition from the 1960s was restored.
• Bitva u České Skalice 28. 6. 1866 – Over 400 objects on the battle are displayed in two halls, including cold and firearms, parts of equipment and archaeological finds from war graves, supplemented by panels and edited photographs.
• Barunčina škola – A school classroom in the log building where Božena Němcová went to school shows education in the first half of the 19th century; the atrium is decorated with ceramics by Jiří Škopek.

Founded

1902

Operated by

Město Česká Skalice (organizační složka města)

Admission & discounts

Prices apply to the exhibitions and accompanying exhibitions. Children under 6 enter free. A special admission fee may be charged for events.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The traditional programme “Za Barunkou do školy” (“To School with Barunka”) takes place every June. The family ticket applies to 2 adults and 2 children under 15. The Babiččino údolí nature trail, with stops on life in the river, plants and animals, is also of interest to families.

Getting there & parking

From Hradec Králové the museum complex lies on the left-hand side of the road, next to the Maloskalický church and presbytery; in Jiřinka Park by the museum stands a statue of Barunka Panklová. From Náchod, drive through the square and along the main road over the bridge; the museum is on the right. Česká Skalice lies on road E67 (Prague – Hradec Králové – Jaroměř – Náchod). Barunčina škola is about 600 m from the main building.

Amenities & dining

An illustrated catalogue on the exhibition on the battle of Česká Skalice can be bought at the ticket office.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Weddings / ceremonies

The museum offers a ceremony room and the Jiřinka Hall for weddings and rents out other spaces.

Plan your visit