The main building of the Prague Museum in Florenc will reopen on December 6 after a five-year renovation

Prague - After a five-year reconstruction, the main building of the Museum of Prague in Florenc will reopen on Saturday, December 6th. The opening will be accompanied by a program throughout the weekend primarily aimed at families with children, and admission will be free on both days. The museum announced this on its website. According to previous estimates, the reconstruction cost approximately 290 million crowns.

The reopening program includes making bird feeders or Christmas decorations used in the 19th century, puppet and music performances, author readings, and a guided tour of the famous Langweil model of Prague, the museum's most well-known exhibit.

The new exhibition in the main building utilizes modern technologies and includes a range of interactive elements. It will transport visitors back to the early 19th century, when the Langweil model of Prague was created. The model, covering an area of approximately 20 square meters, captures over 2000 buildings of the Old Town, Lesser Town, and Hradčany before the reconstruction of the city's historical center at a scale of 1:480.

While visitors previously could see the Langweil model in its entirety, it will now be divided into 12 showcases to allow people to closely examine individual details. The exhibition will be designed as immersive - using various technologies to create the impression for visitors that they are part of the theme or story. "Using state-of-the-art technology, a world-class visual experience will be created here, which until now has mostly been admired abroad," states the museum. In one of the halls, projections will be displayed on walls that are 22 meters long and five meters high. In other rooms, visitors will learn about the changes in society in the first half of the 19th century through interactive elements. Several characters from different social backgrounds will guide them through the period.

The museum is fully accessible after the renovation; prior to 2020, disabled individuals could use a platform, but it did not allow access to higher floors. The ticket offices, changing rooms, restrooms, and museum shop have also been modernized.

The main building of the museum, formerly called the Museum of the Capital City of Prague, was built according to the design of architect Antonín Balšánek between 1896 and 1898. It was officially opened to the public along with its exhibits on September 27, 1900. In its more than 120 years of existence, it has not undergone any general reconstruction. Only partial adjustments, mainly of a technical nature, have been made.

When it closed in June 2020, it was expected to remain closed for two years, but the reconstruction ultimately extended to more than five years.

The Museum of Prague is a contributory organization of the Prague City Hall, and its collection is dedicated to the city’s history. In addition to the main building in Florenc, it manages seven other sites - the Clam-Gallas Palace and the House at the Golden Ring in the Old Town, the Müller and Rothmayer villas, and the Norbertov center in Střešovice, the Podskalská customs office in Výtoň, and the Ctěnice Castle on the northeastern outskirts of Prague.