Skanzen Solvayovy lomy
Open-air museum in a former limestone quarry in the Czech Karst, with exhibitions on the extraction and transport of limestone, a tour of an adit and a ride on a narrow-gauge line.
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About the museum
The quarry opened during the First World War as a source of limestone for the soda factory in Neštěmice near Ústí nad Labem, which operated by the Solvay process. The operator obtained the concession in 1916; extraction began in 1918 in a low quarry and later moved to two levels. Limestone was carried on a 600 mm gauge narrow-gauge railway to the upper station of a gravity cableway, and from there to the railway station at Loděnice.
In 1925 electricity reached the quarry and extraction was gradually mechanised. Alongside the classic quarry face, extraction by funnelling from an adit below the deposit was also tried. From 1929 the southern part of the quarry was linked with the cableway by an underground adit, through which wagons ran with locomotives. Most extraction took place during the Second World War. After nationalisation the quarry passed to several state enterprises, lorries replaced the narrow-gauge railway, and extraction ended in 1963.
In 1993 the Společnost Barbora (Barbora Company) was founded to rescue mining and industrial heritage. It is restoring the narrow-gauge railway, repairing locomotives and wagons, and collecting technical objects. Today the open-air museum consists of a museum of limestone extraction and transport, the adit and a surface track, on which visitors can ride a motor train or, on some dates, a steam train. The site lies in a forest within a national nature reserve and can be reached only on foot, by bicycle or on horseback.
Highlights
- Four exhibitions in the main building: limestone extraction, geology and speleology, cable railways, and a period machine workshop
- Guided walk through the adit with mining equipment and rail vehicles
- Ride on the narrow-gauge line in the quarry, on selected days with the steam locomotive Bronhilda
- Extensive collection of narrow-gauge locomotives and wagons
- The only cable railway exhibition in the Czech Republic
Permanent exhibitions
- Těžba a doprava vápence v Českém krasu – Exhibition in the main building on the quarrying and transport of limestone in the Solvay works quarry.
- Nákladní lanové dráhy – The only cable railway exhibition in the Czech Republic, recalling the cableway that carried limestone from the quarry to the station.
- Štola – A walking tour of the underground with mining equipment in its natural setting, and rail vehicles.
- Operated by
- Společnost Barbora z.s.
Admission & discounts
| Adults | 120 Kč |
|---|---|
| Reduced | 80 Kčstudents up to 26, seniors from 65 and holders of a ZTP card |
| Children & teens | 80 KčChildren aged 3–15; children under 3 may not enter the adit, and the museum does not recommend the underground part for children under 6. |
| Seniors | 80 KčSeniors from 65. |
| Visitors with disabilities | 80 KčHolders of a ZTP card. |
| Students & apprentices | 80 KčStudents up to 26. |
| Groups | –Special tours for groups (May and June, mostly Wednesday to Friday): nursery and primary schools CZK 1,000 per group of up to 10 people and CZK 100 for each additional person; secondary and higher education schools CZK 1,200 and CZK 120; other groups CZK 2,100 and CZK 210. Accompanying teachers of pupils and students under 18 enter free (one teacher for every 10 minors or part thereof). |
| Families | 320 KčFamily with at most 3 children. |
| Tour with a ride on the motor train – adult | 90 KčChild CZK 60, family CZK 240, student, senior and ZTP CZK 90; children under 3 free with an adult. |
| Tour with a ride on the steam train – adult | 120 KčChild CZK 80, family CZK 320, student, senior and ZTP CZK 120; children under 3 free with an adult. |
The price list on the website has three columns (Museum + adit, Motor train, Steam train); the base price given is for the museum and the adit. Residents of the municipalities of Svatý Jan pod Skalou and Bubovice enter free. Tickets are sold only in the “tram” at the open-air museum, and the entire admission fee goes to the development of the open-air museum. A group may have at most 30 people; seats on the train are not reserved.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- 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
The open-air museum lies in the forest and is reached only by forest tracks and paths (about 2 km on the flat from Bubovice). The adit is not suitable for people with claustrophobia, and the temperature inside is still about 8 °C.
Kids & families
| Family ticket | 320 Kč · Family with at most 3 children. |
|---|
The family ticket applies to a family with at most three children. Children under 3 may not enter the adit, and the museum does not recommend the underground part for children under 6.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Bubovice · 20-min walk · 2 km
Bus no. 311 from Praha-Zličín to Bubovice (at weekends), buses no. 380 and 384 or the S6 train from Praha-Smíchov to Loděnice, or bus no. 825 to Svatý Jan pod Skalou; check the times at pid.cz.
By car
Paid parking
Paid municipal car park in Bubovice by the field track towards the open-air museum; parking outside the marked car parks is not allowed in the protected landscape area.
The open-air museum lies in a national nature reserve and is accessible only on foot, by bicycle or on horseback: from Bubovice about 2 km on the flat (about 20 minutes), from Loděnice about 3 km uphill (about 40 minutes), and from Svatý Jan pod Skalou 3–4 km uphill (about 60 minutes). The paths are marked in yellow, blue, red and green, with a hammer symbol.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
While waiting for the train, draught beer and a basic selection of cold and hot meals are available.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | The guided tour starts at the museum after the train arrives and lasts about 40–60 minutes (about 40 minutes for the museum and 20 minutes for the adit). The ride on the narrow-gauge line in the surface part of the quarry takes about 20 minutes. Larger groups can be booked only at weekends, at least a week in advance, by e-mail to skanzen@solvayovylomy.cz or by mobile phone on +420 603 519 739; groups over 35–40 people are split. Steam operation with the locomotive Bronhilda is scheduled for 31 October 2026. |
