Muzeum Novojičínska

About the museum

The Nový Jičín Museum has its roots in the 19th century. Its predecessor, the private Kattauer Museum, was founded in 1849 and established in 1861, but ceased to exist as early as 1875. The town council set up a municipal museum in 1887, which in 1905 was given the name Kravařsko Museum. After 1945 it became the Nový Jičín Museum, in 1963 the Local History Institute, and in 1979 the District Local History Museum. Since 2003 the organisation has been a regional institution of the Moravian-Silesian Region and manages nine branches, for example Kunín Château, Nová Horka Château, the Centre of Traditional Technologies in Příbor, the Šipka Museum in Štramberk and the Tatra Museum in Kopřivnice.

The main place for visitors in Nový Jičín is Žerotín Château. It stands on the remains of a fortified stone house of the lords of Kravaře, and its Gothic core has foundations from the 14th century. In the first half of the 16th century the Žerotíns rebuilt it as a Renaissance town château, but in 1558 they left Nový Jičín. Later the château belonged to the town, to the Olomouc Jesuit college and, after the dissolution of the order in 1773, to the Vienna Theresian Academy. In the 19th century the builder Ignác Kloss radically rebuilt it over more than twenty years, starting in the 1840s.

Today the château houses permanent exhibitions of hats and headgear and of the history of the town. Since 2025 construction work has been under way on a new entrance section, a ground floor with visitor facilities and an education centre, and new exhibition spaces. The château remains open to the public.

Highlights

• Permanent exhibition Nechte na hlavě, a museum of hats and headgear which the museum describes as the largest of its kind in the world
• Exhibition Ve znaku zavinuté střely on the history of Nový Jičín and Kravařsko
• Renaissance château of the Žerotín family, rebuilt in the 19th century by Ignác Kloss
• Joint ticket with the Visitor Centre
• Main site of the network of nine branches of the Nový Jičín Museum

Permanent exhibitions

• Nechte na hlavě – Permanent exhibition of hats and headgear; the museum describes it as the largest collection of its kind in the world.
• Ve znaku zavinuté střely – The exhibition traces the history of Nový Jičín from the Middle Ages to the present, presenting the town as the political and cultural centre of the formerly German-speaking Kravařsko region. It is the introduction to a planned exhibition on Kravařsko.

Founded

1887

Operated by

Muzeum Novojičínska, příspěvková organizace (Moravskoslezský kraj)

Director

Aleš Knápek

Admission & discounts

Children under 6, the teaching escort of school groups, companions of ZTP/P holders, holders of AMG, ZMS and ICOM cards, members of the Council of Galleries of the Czech Republic and the Council of Galleries of Slovakia, and employees of the Moravian-Silesian Regional Office enter free. This does not apply to events with their own admission charge. Card payment is possible.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible: not available
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

According to the museum's information, entry is not step-free.

Kids & families

A family ticket for CZK 180 is available (at most 2 adults and up to 4 children under 15); children under 6 enter free.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

A toilet is located in the building, and card payment is accepted.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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