Muzeum obrněné techniky Smržovka

About the museum

The museum’s first exhibits were acquired in 1999. Around 2000 the founders bought suitable premises in the former halls of an agricultural cooperative, which allowed the collection to grow further. Today the museum describes itself as the largest private tank museum in Central Europe; it is a member of the Asociace muzeí a galerií ČR (Association of Museums and Galleries of the Czech Republic).

The museum has no permanent staff and is run by a few enthusiasts using only their own funds. There are two workshops on the site where equipment is repaired and restored. Most recently, the American light tank Stuart M3A1 from 1942 was restored; the M-36 Jackson tank destroyer from 1944, seriously damaged by fire after a road accident in Prague in 2019, is being repaired again.

Since 2011 war veterans have regularly met at the museum; in 2019 the charity event “Tanky jezdí pro hospic” (“Tanks Drive for the Hospice”) took place, and since 2020 the Tankové dny (Tank Days) have been held every summer, during which visitors can ride in some of the vehicles. More than 40 exhibits are on display, around half of them still mobile, and the whole exhibition is under a roof. An exhibition on the development of tanks from the First World War to the present is being prepared, which is also intended to recall the wartime events in the Jablonec region.

Highlights

• More than 40 vehicles and guns from the Second World War and the postwar period; the entire exhibition is under a roof
• Around half of the equipment is still mobile
• American M-36 Jackson tank destroyer and M3A1 Stuart light tank
• British tanks Centurion, Comet and Cromwell
• Czechoslovak tanks T-34/85, T-55 and T-72 M1
• 88 mm Flak 18-36-37 anti-aircraft guns and an artillery collection

Permanent exhibition

• Sbírka obrněné techniky a děl – More than 40 tanks, half-tracks, wheeled vehicles and guns from the Second World War and the postwar period, displayed under a roof; around half of the equipment is mobile.

Founded

1999

Operated by

Soukromé muzeum, které provozují nadšenci z vlastních prostředků

Admission & discounts

Admission is not paid at the gate but to the guide. Payment by card or by QR code is also possible.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum lies on a site between a petrol station and the Halama metal works.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

The small shop sells souvenirs such as key rings, magnets, paper models and colouring books.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit