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Summary for: OVERVIEW: Complete list of Czech museums and galleries now offering free entryVisitors in Prague, Brno, and Opava will be able to enter several of the Czech Republic’s most important museums for free starting this Sunday, April 12, as the Ministry of Culture launches a new nationwide pilot program.
The initiative includes the National Museum in Prague, the National Technical Museum, the Moravian Museum in Brno, the Silesian Museum in Opava, and the Technical Museum in Brno.
Participating museums will open their permanent exhibitions free of charge every second Sunday of the month under a trial project running through the start of the summer holidays.
The government says the goal is to improve access to culture and gradually return visitor numbers to pre-pandemic levels, while also testing how museums handle higher attendance without ticket revenue.
Officials are warning visitors to expect strong demand on the first day, along with possible lines and reduced comfort at some sites.
Pilot expands access to major institutions
The Ministry of Culture confirmed that the program builds on a similar initiative launched last week for selected galleries, which saw a sharp increase in attendance, in some cases up to five times higher than usual.
Culture Minister Oto Klempír said the museum program is part of a broader effort to make cultural institutions more accessible. The pilot will run in “test mode” through the start of the summer holidays, after which its long-term structure will be evaluated.
“While galleries operate on the first Sunday of the month, museums will now follow on the second Sunday,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that further expansion of the program is under consideration.
The ministry also indicated that additional institutions, including regional heritage sites, could be added depending on the results of the trial period.
The largest participating institution is the National Museum in Prague, founded in 1818 and home to extensive natural science and historical collections spread across multiple buildings and locations. Also in the capital, the National Technical Museum will open its permanent exhibitions for free.
In Brno, the Moravian Museum will also participate. Its collections include millions of objects spanning natural science, archaeology, and cultural history. The Technical Museum in Brno will also join the initiative, offering access to its exhibitions focused on industrial and technological development.
In Opava, the Silesian Museum will open its permanent displays. Founded in 1814, it is the oldest museum in the Czech Republic and among the largest, with millions of items documenting the history of Silesia and surrounding regions.
At a glance: Participating museums & galleries
- National Museum (Prague): The country’s largest museum, founded in 1818, featuring extensive natural science and historical collections across multiple sites.
- National Technical Museum (Prague): The largest Czech institution dedicated to the history of technology, covering transportation, industry, and engineering.
- Moravian Museum (Brno): One of the oldest and second-largest museums in the country, with millions of scientific and cultural artifacts.
- Silesian Museum (Opava): The oldest museum in the Czech Republic, documenting Silesian and regional history from prehistory to the present.
- Technical Museum in Brno – A museum of industrial and technological history with 18 permanent exhibitions and seasonal heritage sites.
- * National Gallery Prague – The largest art collection in Czechia and one of the world’s oldest public galleries, with exhibitions across multiple historic buildings.
- * Moravian Gallery in Brno – The second-largest art museum in the Czech Republic, operating across five buildings.
- * Olomouc Museum of Art – One of the country’s largest art institutions, with more than 85,000 works across three exhibition sites.
* Note: the above galleries are open for free on the first Sunday of the month through this summer; museums on the second Sunday of the month.
Attendance surge expected as pilot expands
The ministry says the program aims not only to improve accessibility but also to encourage long-term growth in cultural participation. In 2024, Czech museums and galleries recorded 13.1 million visits, still below the 2019 level of 14.6 million.
Officials say early data from last weekend’s pilot suggests strong public interest, but also emphasize the need to evaluate operational capacity and financial impacts on institutions.
“We need to evaluate both visitor numbers and the economic effects on the institutions,” the ministry noted in its earlier statement on the program.
Further decisions on expanding free-entry Sundays beyond museums and galleries are expected later this year.
