The official reopening of the National Museum’s main building is planned for October 2018 as part of celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Czechoslovak Republic. Since July 2011, the historical building of the National Museum has been closed because of extensive renovation.
Why was the renovation necessary?
Since its original opening, the building has not undergone any significant repairs. It was also damaged by foreign armies in 1945 and 1968. If repairs of this unique building had not started soon enough, it could have been closed down for safety reasons. The goal of the demanding renovation was thus to save this important national cultural monument and transform it into a modern museum.How will the museum look like after the renovation?
Apart from museum exhibits, the project also includes leisure areas, activity rooms for school visits, storage spaces for strollers, play areas for children, a café and a souvenir shop. Naturally, the building will be barrier-free and fully accessible for people with disabilities.From the lobby, the visitors will be able to access the newly constructed visitor facilities in the basement with lockers and sanitary conveniences. On the ground floor, the left roofed courtyard will be a meeting place with a museum café, store and a play area for children.
The roofed courtyard situated on the right-hand side of the building will house a permanent exhibition of suspended large-scale exhibits, precious statues and monuments from the museum’s collections. The ground floor will contain five exhibition halls with an overall area of over 1,000 square metres available for short-term exhibitions, as well as restored auditoriums.
New lifts will carry the visitors to the second underground floor with a multimedia passage leading to the neighbouring new National Museum building. Here they will find the second part of the permanent exhibition. The area will also host other exhibitions, concerts and cultural events.
