Join Nové Strašecí for an Exciting Day and Night with the Celts
The Nové Strašecí Museum, in collaboration with the Town of Nové Strašecí, warmly invites you to join us on 16 May 2025 for the traditional event known as Day and Night with the Celts, along with the 2nd annual Monkey Symposium. This delightful event, held each year in Nové Strašecí, celebrates the remarkable discovery of the Celt’s head from Mšecke Žehrovice.
This year’s 18th edition will feature a full day of exciting activities from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, showcasing Traditional Celtic craft stations both outside and inside the museum, alongside a fun competitive game where kids can win prizes.
The evening program will run from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM, featuring delicious tastings of Celtic dishes and a creative art workshop for children,
where they can create their own Celtic-style jewelry. For this special night, the museum will welcome back for the first time in a year the treasure of gold Celtic coins from Rakovník, which received expert restoration last year and will be showcased during guided tours led by archaeologists at 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM within the museum exhibition.
The enchanting atmosphere of the Night with the Celts will be further enhanced by live Celtic folk music, including a special concert by the band Rí Ra starting at 8:00 PM. Visitors can enjoy all exhibitions and displays in the museum until midnight. The museum will also offer themed souvenirs, publications, and a selection of special spring beers for purchase at the box office.
The most valuable Celtic sculpture in Europe
One of the most renowned artworks from the Celtic era found in what is now the Czech Republic is the internationally famous “Head of the Celt“—a stone head discovered in 1943 at a quarry near Mšecke Žehrovice. This striking piece stands around 25 cm high and is carved from White Hradec Králové stone, depicting a man adorned with a distinctive Celtic neckerchief, which signified high social standing. This remarkable artifact was crafted by the Celts during the latter half of the 3rd century BC, from materials sourced in the nearby White Mountains, extending into the Nové Strašecí region. While experts have uncovered many similar sculptures throughout Europe, none feature such intricate and refined details as this particular piece. Archaeologists believe the head could symbolize a druid or a venerated ancestor, known as a héroa. These were prestigious individuals who, due to their achievements, were honored by generations of their family and community. It’s surmised that a group of Celts residing in Žehrovice likely revered this ancestral figure as part of their home cult practices. The original Celtic head is a rare find and has been displayed in notable exhibitions across Europe and internationally.
