The Museum of Mlada Boleslav Region
The Museum of Mlada Boleslav Region has been continuing its activities for
more than a hundred years since the setting up of the Regional Museum
Society in 1885.The first museum collections were placed in the house
named "Na Valech". Having suffered from the lack of space and not having
been protected pro perly, the museum collections were moved to the
"Temple". This late gothic palace was given to the museum by the town
council a year after the birth of the museum. In 1887 the first exhibit was
opened to the public here.
The first museum collections consisted especially of the loans offered by
Museum Society members and its wealthy patrons. Methodical collection
and classification of material were developed thanks to a grammar school
teacher and one of the museum originators, Frantisek Ba res, in particular.
The preparation for the Etnographic Exhibition in Prague in 1895 became
the next important impulse for the museum. It obtained the building of a
former Church of the Unity of Brethren (Unitas Fratrum) for its enlarged
collections in 1906. A new exhibit was opened here four years later.
Since there were no depositories almost all collection objects were
displayed in the exhibit.
At a later time the museum had been using for its collections some other
buildings too until it got its permanent hinterland including depositories as
well as showrooms in Mlada Boleslav Castle in 1972. The museum has
had its home in the castle since that time up to the present.
Mlada Boleslav Castle
The long history of the castle began in the 2nd half of the 10th century
and it was connected with the foundation of the site of an ancient
settlement which covered almost the entire area of today`s Old Town.
The castle served as warden`s of a castle seat and later it became
seignorial officers'seat and even lords'of the manor resi dence.
When the Thirty Years' War was brought to an end the castle became
the town property and it was falling into disrepair slowly. In the middle
of the 18th century the whole building was rebuilt and then it was
used as barracks and it served for military use. Having been aban-
doned by army in 1953, the castle was used as a textile store. In 1972
it became the seat of the Museum of Mlada Boleslav.
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"Temple" (1927)
Church of the Unity of Brethren |
