Museum of Decorative Arts

Located in a cultural square that houses the Rudolfinum Gallery and concert hall, the Academy of Decorative Arts and the Faulty of Philosophy is the Prague Museum of Decorative Arts. This splendid museum was erected at the very end of the 1800s and houses a wonderful collection of all things decorative from the Renaissance to the mid 19th century including glass, furniture, textiles, jewelry, watches, clocks and more. Josef Schulz, the same architect who designed the reconstruction of the National Theater in Prague and was the co-author of the Rudolfinum, designed the attractive Historicist building. The two-story building is a lovely example of neo Renaissance architecture and features a front façade designed by Antonín Popp and Bohuslav Schnirch that showcases reliefs depicting arts and crafts techniques including embroidery, weaving, basket making, lace making, gold and lock smith work, jewelry making, tin making, wood carving, printing, book making, stone masonry, glass making, pottery and porcelain manufacturing and more. Besides the arts and crafts reliefs you can also spot emblems of Czech towns. The interior of the museum is beautiful and features a grand staircase, painted ceilings, impressive stuccowork and more. The museum houses its permanent collection on the two floors as well as interesting temporary exhibitions. The lower level features a gift shop with art and architecture publications, jewelry reproductions, postcards, and more. There is also an onsite café where you can sip on a coffee, wine or beer while contemplating decorative arts through the years.
 

17. listopadu 2, Praha 1, +420 778 543 901, www.upm.cz