Czech Museum of Silver - Profile

At present the Museum concentrates (within the bounds of financial possibility) on gradual building of new permanent exposition, whose content and scenarios derive from the main characteristic of its collections and from working and research focus of the Museum. Its experts have more than 170 000 items of collections in their care. The largest collection is the archeological, comprising almost 120 000 items. Also the numismatic collection is large and in its specialization important (it contains coins, medals, sacrals, banknotes etc.) It amounts to 19 000 items. The art collection of about 9 000 items contains paintings, drawings, graphics and carvings. Ores, minerals, rocks and paleontologic material are held in number of 7 000 items in the geological collection. Of the same size is also the collection of handcraft, whose foundation was (similarly to the archeological collection) laid already in the end of the 19th century. Among these holdings there are also such items that cannot be omitted in any history of material culture. Exhibits from the special collection of mining instrumentation rank among the oldest in Europe.

From the richness of the collections only a fraction can be displayed in the permanent exhibitions. Therefore, collections of the Museum are presented also in various thematic seasonal exhibitions. All buildings of the Museum have, besides the rooms of permanent exhibitions, also exhibition halls. The Museum annually arranges 6 – 8 exhibitions. It offers exhibition rooms to artists of various styles and branches.
Year-round the Museum works as research, advisory, library and consulting center for public. Almost constantly the Museum operates as unofficial information center for domestic and foreign tourists.
Museum employees give research services and information about the Museum collections to more than 100 persons per year. But that is not all. In the ceremonial rooms of gothic Hrádek (the main building of the Museum that has become popular destination of estimable diplomatic and official visits of UNESCO listed Kutná Hora), concerts, lectures, social events, banquets and ceremonies take place.

Silver Kutná Hora, civil assotiation

The Czech Museum of Silver is member of a civil association that organises cultural events reviving historical traditions of the town. The most important of them is the “Royal Festival of Silver” held annually on the last but one weekend in June and situated in the Luxembourg age. In autumn, “Autumn Smíšek banquet” – themed private party with period renaissance program reviving life-style of Kutná Hora in the Jagellonian age (usually attended by promoters and sponsors of the Museum and the civil association) is held. In December, a Christmas fair with historical program and related exhibition takes place in the courtyard of Hrádek.