★★★★★ 5.0
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Náprstek Museum of Asian, African and American Cultures
Did you know there's a real mummy hiding inside this building that's older than TWENTY of your great-great-great grandmas put together? Right here in Prague, behind these fancy yellow walls that used to be a brewery making stinky beer 200 years ago, sits a treasure chest of adventures from around the world! See those big windows up there? Count them... I bet you'll find exactly fourteen! Mr. Náprstek built this place in 1862 after his mom said "NO MORE STUFF IN MY HOUSE!" because he had collected 95,000 objects - that's like filling up FIFTY classrooms with spears, masks, and shrunken heads... yes, REAL shrunken heads from the Amazon! When you walk through that arched doorway, you're stepping where horses used to deliver barrels of beer, but now you'll find the very first Native American headdress ever brought to Europe in 1841. Look for the secret drawer in the Japanese room where samurai swords are hidden... and don't forget to find the tiniest shoe in the world - it's smaller than your pinky finger!
Did You Know?
- Founded in the 1860s by Vojtěch Náprstek and his mother Anna, the museum began as a private initiative in their family home, quickly becoming a vibrant hub for Czech intelligentsia, travelers, and innovators—offering not just exhibits but also a public library and a meeting place for discussions on science, culture, and progress.
- The museum’s original focus was on industrial technology and crafts, inspired by Náprstek’s visit to the 1862 London World Exhibition, where he acquired modern machines to inspire Czech industry; only later did it evolve into a world-class ethnographic and art museum, with its current name reflecting a collection spanning Asia, Africa, and the Americas, including unique Central Asian textiles and ancient Egyptian artifacts.
- Hidden within the museum’s historic U Halánků brewery complex in Prague’s Old Town, the exhibits include a ‘gold treasure’ of early field-collected artifacts brought back by Czech travelers and expatriates—though only a fraction of the vast collection is on display, making each visit a chance to discover something new, including a special section dedicated to the culture of Nias Island, Indonesia, and interactive displays perfect for curious families and children.