_The Bohemian Museum_
The Bohemian Museum (Museum Kralovstvi Ceskéhö) has a great and twofold
interest, both as containing most valuable relics of the past of Bohemia
and as constituting the most important monument of the 'Resurrection' of
Bohemia in the nineteenth century. I have already briefly referred to
that movement, of which the Bohemian Museum is, with the National
Theatre, the most prominent architectural expression. The society of the
Bohemian Museum was founded on April 15, 1818, mainly through the
exertions of Counts Kolowrat, Sternberg and Klebelsberg. Almost the
whole Bohemian nobility favoured the new enterprise, and among its
earliest patrons were members of the Auersberg, Kinsky, Schwarzenberg,
Thun, Trautmannsdorf, Waldstein, Wratislaw families. I shall not, I
hope, be accused of undue pride if I mention that I find the names of
Counts Rudolph and Jerome Lützow in one of the earliest lists of
members. It is of more general interest to note that the list of members
for the year 1824 contains as 'Ehrermietglied' the name of 'Von Göthe,
Sachsen-Weimar-Eisenachser, Staatsminister and Geheimer Rath.' This fact
is noteworthy as proving how entirely the great mind of Göthe was exempt
from the narrow-minded racial prejudice, which generally renders the
Germans hostile to the development of the Bohemian people.
The collections of the museum were first housed in a modest building on
the Hradcany, and then transferred to a larger building in the Prikopy
or Graben. This also became insufficient, and the Bohemian Diet resolved
in 1884 to erect the present building at the upper end of the Václavske
Námesti--on the spot where the horse gate (Konska brána) of the new town
stood. It was completed in 1891, and the museum was opened by the
Archduke Charles Louis on the 18th of May of that year. The exterior of
the building is decorated with statues. Entering the building, we first
reach the fine vestibule, which is decorated with great splendour. The
ground floor, besides this large hall, contains (at the left angle) the
archives, the rich library--the use of which is liberally granted to
foreign visitors--the valuable print-room, and several halls used by
patriotic associations. Ascending the fine marble staircase, we first
reach the so-called 'Pantheon,' a large, handsome hall in which the
meetings of the society of the museum and of the Bohemian Academy are
held.
Walking through the rooms according to their numbering, we find in Hall
I. a very interesting collection of MSS. and early printed works from
the library and archives that are exhibited here. Here are the MSS. of
many ancient Bohemian books that have been recently reprinted, among
them the famed MS. of Kralové Dvur, the genuineness of which has raised
so great a controversy in Bohemia. It has been placed next to an
undoubtedly genuine early Bohemian MS., and to those that are not
experts in palæography the two appear absolutely identical. The
collection of early printed works is also very interesting; among them
is the first book printed in Bohemian, the _Kronyka Trojanská_, printed
at Plzen in 1468. On the walls hang ancient engravings, mostly by
Sadeler, representing views of Prague in the seventeenth century; two
of these are reproduced in this volume. It would be interesting to deal
more fully with this hall that contains an epitome of the history and
literature of Bohemia, but want of space renders this impossible. I may
add that an excellent catalogue is sold in the museum. Hall II. contains
a valuable collection of coins, medals and seals. The collection of
Bohemian coins is complete. After Hall III., used for offices, we arrive
at Halls IV., V. and VI., which contain prehistoric remains discovered
in various parts of Bohemia. Hall VII. requires little notice, but Hall
VIII. is one of the most interesting. It contains a noteworthy
collection of arms and armoury. Here are several specimens of the famed
"cep" or battle-club of the Hussites, very curious painted Hussite
shields, some of which bear the arms of Prague, the sword with which the
Bohemian leaders were decapitated on the memorable 21st of June 1621,
and the sword of Gustavus Adolphus. Here, too, the tablets commemorating
the Compacts are preserved. The other halls on this and on the second
floor contain most valuable mineralogical, zoological and botanical
collections, which, being almost entirely confined to Bohemia, are most
instructive to those who wish to study these features of the country. On
the second floor there is also a very curious collection of figures
representing the--now partly extinct--national costumes of the various
parts of Bohemia.