The National Museum

The permanent exhibition of the Bedřich Smetana Museum in a beautiful Neo-Renaissance building of the former Old Town water works focuses on the work and life of the founder of Czech national music.

The exhibition is architecturally and thematically divided into four parts. The first part is dedicated to Smetana's childhood, studies and artistic beginnings, as well as to his five-year-long stay in Sweden's Göteborg. The second part gives information on Smetana's activities between 1862 and 1874 when he significantly participated on building Prague's music scene. The third part of the exhibition depicts the last period of Smetana's life after he became deaf and composed outside of Prague. The last part contains samples of Smetana's correspondence, diaries, scores, portraits, his piano and presents that he received from his admirers. Temporary exhibitions in the Bedřich Smetana Museum often show little known exhibits from the museum collections that enrich the permanent exhibition with other topics regarding Smetana's life. The museum is located in a historical building from the 1880s located on the bank of the Vltava River in the neighborhood of the Charles Bridge. The museum is open from Wednesday till Monday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., but is closed on Tuesdays. The building is not barrier-free.