International Puppeteers Unionn

Mezinárodní loutkařská unie


Union International de Marrionette

SURVEY OF PUPPETRY COLLECTIONS IN CZECH MUSEUMS

Puppetry collections are – thanks to the exceptional position the puppet theatre held in the entire Czech cultural history – represented in a number of regional museums. It is in these places that researchers as well as the lay public can find the most complete collections:

The Museum of Puppetry (Muzeum loutkářských kultur), Chrudim
The Museum of Puppetry opened in 1972 in Chrudim. The collection
comprises approximately 6,000 puppets from more than 40 countries from
all over the world and another 60,000 collection objects (decorations, artistic
designs, press materials, photographs, manuscripts, visual artworks with
a puppetry theme) from more than 70 countries. The specialized library
has over 13,000 books in Czech and in other languages. Alongside the
Museum’s permanent exhibitions on the history of Czech puppet theatre,
family theatres, and foreign puppetry exhibits, the site also has a play room
with various types of puppets for children to play with.
www.puppets.cz

The National Museum

– The Museum of Czech Puppets and the Circus
(Národní muzeum – Muzeum české loutky a cirkusu), Prachatice
The Museum in Prachatice in South Bohemia opened in 2006. The exhibition spaces contain a part of the National Museum in Prague’s collection of puppets and puppet theatre set designs.
• www.nm.cz

The Moravian Museum

– Department of the History of Theatre
(Moravské zemské muzeum – Oddělení dějin divadla), Brno
The Department of the History of Theatre of the Moravian Museum
in Brno was established in 1957. The activities of the institute were
expanded in the 1970s to include research and documentation of Czech
puppetry, focusing especially on nomadic (itinerant) marionette theatre.
• www.mzm.cz

https://www.puppets.cz/

The Puppet Museum
(Muzeum loutek), Plzeň
In 2009 the new exhibition spaces of the Puppet Museum in Pilsen opened.
The exhibits and creative workshops chart the unique history and present
of puppetry in Pilsen and interactively engage visitors young and old.
• www.muzeumloutek.cz