Bedřich Smetana Museum
About This Museum
Tucked right beside the Charles Bridge on the leafy Novotného lávka, the Bedřich Smetana Museum occupies a wonderfully incongruous building. It feels entirely fitting that a composer who channeled the Vltava's flow into music should be celebrated in a former waterworks. Inside, you step away from the tourist bustle into a quiet, reverent space dedicated to the father of Czech national music. The collection feels deeply personal, pulling you into Smetana's world through his own possessions and manuscripts.
Collection Highlights
Don't miss his elegant, wire-rimmed spectacles resting on an original score, or the poignant hearing trumpet that speaks volumes of his late-life deafness. The centerpiece is undoubtedly the display of handwritten manuscripts for 'Má vlast' (My Homeland), including the beloved 'Vltava'.
Visitor Information
It's a compact museum, so you can easily absorb it in under an hour—a perfect cultural respite while exploring the bridge area. Check their website for concert events; hearing his work performed in this space is a truly magical experience.
Architecture & Building
Housed in a charming, stolidly Neo-Renaissance building from the 1880s that was originally Prague's Old Town waterworks, its rustic charm and historical purpose give it far more character than a standard white-cube gallery.
Contact & Location
Address: Muzeum Bedřicha Smetany, Novotného lávka, Staré Město, Praha 1, Praha, obvod Praha 1, Hlavní město Praha, Praha, 116 93, Česko
Phone: +420 222 220 082
Website: Visit Website
