The National Technical Museum

My mom used to always take me to science museums as a kid so I always make it a point to see these facilities every time I head to a new city. They are normally not very crowded and these museums are usually focused on the country of origin. This includes a history of scientific research done in the particular country, highlighting local scientists, local inventions. So when I heard that there was a technical museum here in Prague it got me fairly excited.

The most unassuming building In all of Prague houses some of the coolest vehicles

You can see the museum is very large

Turns out I hit the jackpot as the museum was running a "one day free to the public" days soon after I arrived here. Tyna just mentioned it in passing and I nearly jumped out of my socks at the idea. So one morning we geared up and took the tram over to the museum early to try and jump ahead of the crowds.

Having a good time

The museum has 7 floors open to the public and has a wide range of different topics discussed. The top floor has design and architecture and an open TV studio, the third floor has an optical illusion exhibit with a really well-done space and cosmos exhibit, the 2nd floor has a full design and home good exhibit that is spectacular with a type and printing exhibit, and finally, the 1st floor has access to the main attraction, the main hall with aeroplanes and cars of all sort. Finally, anything that is on the basement levels has to do with the history and technology of mining. It really is a fantastic museum and for sure a worth stopping by.

Just a little bit of the industrial design area in the museum. 

We decided to start at the top floor and work our way down. Taking the design part of the museum on first. It was well done the curator does a nice job with the exhibition, this was obviously not something they had on permanent display. It involved an interesting display on how the sound of things is important in the design of things. How a button "clicks" when pushed or when a dial feels when different options are selected. Very good overall.  

Seaside Dwelling model designed by Czech architect 

Hand-drawn technical drawings that are incredible.

 The active-TV studio is across the hall from the small design studio. It's cool but it's a little more geared for kids. not much interactivity here and it's just a camera with a few CRT screens around. You can tell it was set up a long time ago and hasn't weathered well.

Heading down to the third floor you come to an installment that studies the human eye, and perception. It's not a permanent exhibition and you can see is one of the more popular in the museum. It's also one of the most interactive. This is a great place for kids and young adults. some of these make you feel sick. It tricks your mind into making you almost fall over a few times so be careful. If Tyna had not been there I would have for sure fallen over. Unfortunately, I was not able to snag any great photos inside this area of the museum.


The home goods area is extremely interesting. It showcases a lot of items not normally seen in the united states. It shows the development and evolution of home good design under Soviet oppression. I thought it was fascinating and studied everything with great detail. In these museums the items are usually not behind glass, you can look around them and in some cases reach out and touch them. the following photographs are just a few of the many I took while wandering around this area of the museum.

Washing machine that has the controls in English (rare)

Big old oven

A very "modern" vacuum cleaner

Finally on to the coolest part of the entire museum. THE TRANSPORTATION ROOM!!!!! If you just want to see one thing at the museum, this is it. It is full from top to bottom in anything and everything that moves. They have anything ranging from the first cars that drove in the Czech Republic to Nazi V2 rocket engines. I easily spent the majority of my time here in this room. I wish I could remember all the facts about the cars I took pictures of but here are just some of them I found fascinating.

V2 Rocket engine.. the coolest part of the transport room

Not only do they have a massive collection of cars and airplanes, they also have a HUGE collection of motorcycles. The eastern European motorcycle culture grew up without Harleys or Indians so the local manufacturers dominated the motorcycle industry for years. They came up with some wacky looking motorcycles and they are displayed right here in the museum. It really is amazing how many they have, at least 50-100 motorcycles all in pristine condition. Seriously if you want to see a great collection of motorcycles that you wouldn't see in the USA, stop by the technical museum.

CZ-175 Special

Bugatti Race Cars

P-51

In the basement, the museum dives into the history of mining in Europe. It is extremely cool and shows how medieval mines operated and how mining technology evolved over the years. Lots of interactivity downstairs and lots of cool things for the little ones to learn and play with.

All in all the museum is a wonderful place for all ages. If you are in Prague for an extended period of time it is for sure a must see. If you are lucky the museum runs different exhibits and promotions that are wonderful as well. I would highly recommend visiting the national technical museum here in  Prague.