Visitor numbers at the National Museum of the Czech Republic reach record levels again in 2025. 2026 will bring exhibitions focusing on history and personalities

The National Museum of the Czech Republic had an exceptionally successful year in 2025. Its exhibitions and displays were visited by 1,379,068 people, which is 144,603 more visitors than in 2024. The unique exhibition of the original fossils of Lucy and Selam, as well as the exhibitions Chinggis Khan and 100 Treasures, 100 Stories, enjoyed extraordinary interest from visitors and confirmed the international prestige of the institution. 

The National Museum of the Czech Republic has prepared an attractive exhibition plan for 2026, which connects the thematic lines of History and Personalities. This is reflected in all the main exhibitions of the year and offers visitors the opportunity to view history through prominent personalities and key historical periods. The exhibition program is intended for both domestic and foreign audiences and is complemented by educational activities for schools of all levels. After a year marked by exhibitions presenting topics from around the world, in 2026 the National Museum of the Czech Republic will return to domestic themes of Czech history, culture, and society. However, these themes will be set in a broader European and international context so that they are understandable and attractive to both Czech and foreign visitors.

"We are delighted that the National Museum continued to attract extraordinary public interest in 2025 and that visitor numbers once again reached record levels. This confirms that our exhibitions, displays, and accompanying programs continue to appeal to a wide range of visitors. In 2026, we will build on this success with a program focused on domestic topics in a broader European and international context, while continuing to develop modern technologies and digital tools that make collections accessible in new and more understandable ways. We want the National Museum to be a natural place of learning for the domestic audience and an important European cultural center that attracts visitors from abroad. The successful year 2025 is also the result of the excellent work of the National Museum's employees, whom I would like to sincerely thank," says Michal Lukeš, Director General of the National Museum of the Czech Republic.

The key project for 2026 will be the extraordinary exhibition The Přemyslids, prepared in cooperation with the Prague Castle Administration, which will be dedicated to the ancient Czech rulers. The largest and most spectacular exhibition of the year, which will open in the second half of April in the Historical Building of the National Museum of the Czech Republic, will present the founding dynasty of the Czech state and its role in shaping the political power, culture, and identity of the Czech lands in a popular form. Visitors will be able to see original artifacts from the collections of the National Museum of the Czech Republic, as well as items on loan from foreign and domestic institutions.

This spring, the Historical building of the National Museum of the Czech Republic will host an exhibition dedicated to Czech historian, politician, and writer František Palacký. The exhibition will present the "Father of the Nation" not as a boring chapter from a textbook, but as an inspiring man with extraordinary perseverance and a capacity for deep work. The aim of the exhibition is to revive Palacký's legacy, whose life's work can still inspire young people today.

In November, the National Museum of the Czech Republic, in cooperation with the Jewish Museum in Prague, will open an exhibition in its Historical Building on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of this important museum, presenting its unique and world-renowned collections.

This year, the Náprstek Museum of Asian, African, and American Cultures will focus on the personality of its founder, Vojta Náprstek, and from April onwards, it will commemorate his life story and legacy, which had a fundamental influence on Czech museology and modern thinking, through an exhibition. 

As is now traditional, the New Building of the National Museum of the Czech Republic will host an exhibition of photographs from the 31st Czech Press Photo competition from May to November, reflecting on the past year and its key events through images. 

The History and Personalities theme is also complemented by exhibitions that began in 2025 and will continue this year. The exhibitions The Prehistoric Adventures of Eduard Štorch and Františka Plamínková and Us remain open in the New Building of the National Museum of the Czech Republic, while the Czech Museum of Music hosts the exhibition Soňa Červená, commemorating the life and artistic career of this important artist.

In 2025, the National Museum of the Czech Republic significantly expanded its range of digital and virtual experiences, confirming that it is keeping pace with current global trends in the presentation of cultural heritage. Visitors can use the National Museum in Your Pocket app to enjoy augmented reality projects, the audiovisual installation Pantheon: Living Roots with an extensive encyclopedia, and the interactive project Memory of the Future in the dome of the Historical Building, which functions as a digital time capsule. The museum has also entered the world of computer games through several worlds in Minecraft. Another part of the modern way of communicating with visitors is the virtual project Steps of Progress in the permanent exhibition History, which uses virtual reality to guide visitors through the changes in technological progress from the late 19th century to the present. 

In 2026, the National Museum of the Czech Republic plans to follow up on these activities with further technological innovations, including the use of artificial intelligence.