What to do and see in Moravia, Czech Republic: The Best Natural History Museums

Reviewed By anden2015 - Minneapolis, United States

I really enjoyed this museum. It has a lot of exhibits so give it some time. There is natural history - geology, plants, wildlife - nice to look at and not a lot in English. I think I most enjoyed seeing what Olomouc looked like in the year 800 or so - some buildings here today were still there back then. I will say that most exhibits had touch screens you could set to English and stand in front of to read. This was very helpful, though not quite the same as signage telling you specifically what you are looking at. Some is labeled in English, some not. The history of film exhibit was 100% in Czech which was too bad but still fun to look at the old film projectors. I was the only one in many of the halls. There is a docent in each hall and I learned they can make or break your experience. One person walked next to me and tried really hard to explain everything in Czech. I understood very little but I so appreciated her enthusiasm and effort. Some left me alone. One followed me and stood and literally stared at me from 10 feet away as if she thought I would try to steal something. It made for an uncomfortable experience - I'm sure that was her job but a little less direct staring would have been nice. But by and large everyone was nice and helpful. I really wanted to see the exhibit on the Astronomical Clock since the info at the Magistrat was all in Czech. But although it was listed in my English booklet, there was no such exhibit. I asked three museum employees and they all seemed baffled. All in all, totally worth your time and the entrance fee (120czk for main and special exhibit combo).