Muzeum Bílovec

About the museum

The Bílovec museum is housed near the château in a Baroque townhouse from 1767–1769, which was built as a two-storey office building serving the administration of the Sedlnický family’s estate. The beginnings of the collections go back to the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, when teachers Franz Wolf and Leo Benzing founded them in predominantly German-speaking Bílovec. They presented the collections to the public at the château in 1920, moved them in 1924 to the estate administration building at Zámecká 691, where the museum is still based, and the solemn opening took place in 1926.

The Second World War partly damaged or destroyed the collections and also damaged the building. Restoration culminated in the 1950s with the publication of the local history journal Bílovecko. In 1963 the museum became part of the District Local History Museum in Nový Jičín, whose successor today is the Muzeum Novojičínska (Novojičín Region Museum); that institution managed the Bílovec museum until 2014.

The building, a cultural monument since 1958, suffered from damp and dry rot, and was therefore extensively reconstructed in 2011–2014 with a European grant and a new exhibition. Today the museum is run by the Bílovec Cultural Centre. The exhibition maps the history of the town, textile production, the château and estate administration, and the output of the Massag factory, formerly Salcher. It is guided by a virtual guide, a manorial scribe, and the ground floor also houses a tourist information centre.

Highlights

• Virtual guide – manorial scribe, audio guide and touchscreens
• Guild objects including a chest, a cash box and funeral plaques from 1804
• Salcher and Massag factory: buttons made of tagua nut and Kandahar ski bindings
• The Enchanted Cellar with the Picmoch goblins for children
• Baroque house from 1767–1769, cultural monument

Permanent exhibitions

• Historie Bílovce a továrny Massag – The exhibition, opened in autumn 2014, presents the history and administration of the town, guild objects, the office of the manorial scribe, and the Salcher and Massag factory, which made buttons and ski bindings.
• Kouzelné sklepení – The museum cellar, full of Picmoch goblins from two families, presents traditional crafts to children and adults alike.
• Bílovec: historie v datech – A panel exhibition summarises the history of the town of Bílovec on a timeline.

Founded

1926

Operated by

Kulturní centrum Bílovec, příspěvková organizace

Director

Petr Havrlant (ředitel Kulturního centra Bílovec)

Admission & discounts

Holders of AMG cards enter free. Card payment is also possible. Events with their own admission fee (for example lectures) are charged separately.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

Children are drawn to the Enchanted Cellar full of Picmoch goblins, who represent traditional crafts. A family ticket costs CZK 150, and children under 6 enter free. Educational programmes are available for schools.

Getting there & parking

The museum is beside the château on Zámecká street.

Amenities & dining

The ground floor of the building has a tourist information centre; the museum sells souvenirs, also through an e-shop.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit