Muzeum Sokolov

About the museum

Sokolov is first mentioned in written sources in 1279, when a circular fortress with a palace stood on the site of today's castle. The present form of the castle was shaped by a rebuilding in the 17th century and Classicist alterations of 1805. The castle became the seat of the museum in 1960, when the Museum of the Sokolov Mining Region was established here.

In 1982 the museum was first transformed into a municipal museum and then into the District Museum Sokolov, with specialist departments, and from 1986 it had a new permanent exhibition. The largest revision of the exhibition took place around the turn of 2012 and 2013, when a section on the Nostitz family, who owned the castle from 1622 to 1945, was added, along with two rooms devoted to the painter David Friedmann, who worked in the Sokolov region from 1946 to 1947.

In 2019 the castle cellar opened to the public, with archaeological finds from the oldest history of the castle and the exhibition Geological Treasures of the Sokolov Region. In a separate part of the cellar the Sokolov Treasure is displayed, a set of jewellery, cufflinks and watches found during excavation work in the castle courtyard in October 1994. The museum also has exhibition halls for temporary exhibitions and branches in Krásno, Jáchymov and at the Jeroným mine.

Highlights

• Permanent exhibition on the history and nature of the Sokolov region, including the history of the Nostitz family
• Two rooms with the work of painter David Friedmann
• Castle cellar with remains of a 13th-century circular fortress
• Geological Treasures of the Sokolov Region exhibition with twelve thematic sections
• Sokolov Treasure: jewellery and watches found in 1994

Permanent exhibitions

• Stálá expozice muzea (dějiny a příroda Sokolovska) – The first-floor exhibition presents the history and nature of the Sokolov region, the Nostitz family and the work of painter David Friedmann.
• Zámecký sklep – Archaeological finds from the research into the castle and its courtyard, the foundations of a 13th-century circular fortress and the exhibition Geological Treasures of the Sokolov Region.
• Sokolovský poklad – Jewellery, cufflinks and watches from the 20th century, found in 1994 in the castle courtyard; they are displayed in a separate secured area of the cellar.

Founded

1934

Operated by

Karlovarský kraj (příspěvková organizace Muzeum Sokolov)

Admission & discounts

The right to a discount or to free admission must be reported in advance and proven with the relevant card. Free admission is granted to members of AMG and members of the Zväz múzeí SR.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: not available
• Accessible restroom: not available
• 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

Wheelchair users can access the ground-floor exhibition hall and the lecture hall, always with an assistant. The exhibition and the second exhibition hall are on the first floor and are not barrier-free, and neither are the toilets. Accessible toilets reached via the Eurozámek are about 200 m from the castle, by the MDK cultural centre on Budovatelů Square. The castle is not primarily adapted for visually impaired visitors, but a guided visit for blind people with an assistant is possible by prior arrangement. For hearing-impaired visitors a printed guide and exhibition captions are available.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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