National Museum in Prague opens a permanent exhibition just for kids

A completely new exhibition called the Children's Museum (Dětské muzeum) has opened in the New Building of the Czech National Museum. The concept emphasizes children's creativity and imagination, and with the help of interactivity, it focuses on revealing new perspectives and contexts.

At the same time, it is a place for shared experiences and intergenerational education, where generations of children, parents, and grandparents meet to get to know one another.

"The National Museum has a long-term and systematic focus on child visitors. We prepare all our expositions and exhibitions in such a way that they are interesting, attractive, and comprehensible even for a child visitor," Michal Lukeš, the director general of the National Museum, said in a press release.

"We are now opening another one of our permanent exhibitions – the Children's Museum, which is fully interactive and communicates with children mainly through game elements, illustrations, or picture manuals," Lukeš added.

The exhibit’s 10 main themes offer children a new perspective on the natural, social, and symbolic levels, and let them decide how to connect the themes in their minds and work with them further.

"We want children to play and learn about the world and its physical laws and natural anomalies. I think it is very important that children can reach everything, to try out how what works. At the same time, we introduce them to our collections and the topics covered by the National Museum in a fun way," Lukeš said, adding that he wanted young children to see the museum as a place of knowledge and entertainment.

In the theme of development, for example, children learn how time passes in nature – from a larva to a butterfly. The theme of dwellings will show how animals and people live. Defense shows the parallel between the animal carapace and human armor. The topic of senses compares the perception of humans and other animals. Other topics include hidden stories, fragility, movement, brilliance, play, and the role of errors.

A large game wall contains a series of games controlled by throwing balls, complete with an unconventional slide and climbing frame. At first glance, the second hall, which is intended for discovery, is a traditional exhibition hall with three floors, where visitors are not only waiting for classic showcases and exhibits but also a large number of interactive and game elements.

The central motif here is the globe, which hides a projection hall with a projection, as well as a game kiosk. The third hall is dedicated to creativity. Children can read, play board games, and draw there.

On the way from the second to the third hall, children can stop at the photography laboratory. Here, children get to know the technique of classic photography, and darkroom equipment, and try out activities related to light projection.

Although the Children's Museum exhibition is fully interactive, the individual elements are mostly mechanical and the overall artistic tuning is based on traditional materials such as wood and metal. Each theme is represented by a showcase with exhibits, as well as free-standing sculptures or models and interactive elements.

The Children's Museum is intended for children from 4 years of age, entrance for visitors is from the New Building of the National Museum with timed tickets. These can be purchased for a 1.5-hour time slot 30 days in advance online or at the ticket office for a flat price of CZK 120. Other exhibits of the National Museum are accessible free of charge for children under 15 years of age.

This is not the only new museum exhibit to focus on children, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague recently opened a temporary exhibit called The Right Toy. It asks people to evaluate how beneficial certain toys are. The exhibit runs to Sept. 10 and admission is free.