Interesting and creative main exhibition (no polish audioguide unfortunately). Fun exhibition with theatre puppets.

Even by 21st-century standards, Jan Kotera’s creations still look fresh and unconventional, maybe avant-garde as well. Prazsky most, a century-old stone-and-steel bridge across the River Labe in Hradec Kralove bears witness to Kotera’s ability to get out of the norm and create innovative designs and out-of-the-ordinary constructions. A walk along the verdant east bank of the Labe where most of the buildings are Kotera’s creations is enough to confirm his taste for functionalism rather than heavy or elaborate ornamentation. One building that definitely gives credit for Kotera’s originality in design and use of materials is the Muzeum Vychodnich Cech, a grand building that in spite of its age still seems splendidly modern and utterly unconventional. Plastered concrete and red bricks, aptly combined to create lines of contrast were used to devise a facade that is not only original and innovative but functional and inspirational as well. The entrance is guarded by a giant pair of colourful doorkeepers, their legendary Sphinx-like faces obscure and mysterious. The huge dome crowning the roof, so typical of Kotera’s style of architecture transmits an air of grandeur to the structure. Kotera also designed the building’s interior. Unlike most other museums where an existing building is utilized as an exhibition centre, the Vychodnich Cech was intentionally built to house a museum of artifacts and natural sciences. So, the assistance of local painters (Jan Preisler, Josef Novak and Frantisek Kysela) and sculptors (Vojtech Suchard and others) was deemed crucial in the finishing stages. The museum’s best exhibits consist of a 19th-century assortment of local paintings and sculptures, a set of historical posters with a political innuendo dating back to the interwar years and three interactive models of Hradec Kralove that display the historical and architectural aspects of the city in the Middle Ages. Indeed, most exhibits are interesting enough to provide an insight into the country’s recent history and art scene but... alas, no descriptions in English accompany the exhibits.

Beautiful museum with interesting exhibitions. Since it’s been newly renovated it looks even more stunning inside. Love the interior and architecture. Would always visit regardless of the exhibitions.