This summer 2025, one of the most valuable and ancient paleoanthropological exhibits in the world will be showcased in Prague. The 3.2-million-year-old fossil of Australopithecus afarensis, known as Lucy, will be on display in the opening hall of Human Origins and Fossils in the People exhibition at the National Museum’s Historical Building from 25 August 2025.
An Iconic Ancestor in Prague
For the first time ever in Europe, the original skeletal remains of Lucy—one of humanity’s earliest ancestors—will be available for public viewing. On loan from the National Museum of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa, this extraordinary exhibit will be open for 60 days, allowing visitors an unprecedented look at a true landmark in human evolution.
Her name was inspired by the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”, which the team played on repeat during the evening of the discovery. In Ethiopia, Lucy is also known as Dinkinesh, meaning "you are beautiful" in Amharic.
In addition to Lucy, Selam, a fossil of a young child from the same species and discovered 25 years later, will also be displayed. Approximately 100,000 years older than Lucy, Selam was found in the same region of Ethiopia's Afar Triangle. Both fossils, representing Ethiopia’s national cultural heritage, will be presented in Prague thanks to an agreement between Ethiopia and Czechia, with support from the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic and the Ministry of Tourism of Ethiopia.
The discovery of Lucy in 1974 by paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson and his student Tom Gray near the village of Hadar in the Afar Triangle caused a global sensation. Even today, Lucy remains one of the oldest known hominin fossils, with significant implications for understanding the origins of the human species.
Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the remains of one of humankind’s earliest ancestors and a significant milestone in the story of our origins.
