Discover Central Europe’s Tiny Treasure: The Smallest Local History Museum Awaits in Přední Kopanina

The Museum at Přední Kopanina is situated in a recently renovated building known as the Baroque Chapel of St. Ludmilla and St. Martha. This careful renovation has brought this historical monument back to its original Baroque style, restoring features like the windows, doors, plasterwork, and paintings. It now also serves a new purpose by showcasing an overview of the history of this historic village inside its walls.

The exhibition is made up of four double-sided large banners hanging from the ceiling to keep the small interior of the chapel intact, ensuring that they don’t block the three windows and four restored niches, which feature reconstructed original paintings. The banners provide quick insights into the village’s history across four key time periods: prehistory, the early and high Middle Ages, the era before and after the Thirty Years’ War, and from the 19th century to today. One side of the double-sided banners focuses on visual information, while the reverse side contains more detailed factual text.

Alongside the large banner prints, the exhibition features a glass case displaying actual archaeological finds or their replicas. These items date back from ancient pottery of the earliest farmers (around the transition from the 6th to the 5th millennium BC) to decorative Renaissance tiles from the 16th century. The museum is open every Wednesday from 16:00 to 18:00 and every Sunday from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. You can also arrange tours outside of these times by calling 606 515 405. In addition to the museum, visitors are drawn to the historic Rotunda of St. Mary Magdalene, recognized as one of the oldest Czech sacred monuments. Surrounding the rotunda and the museum, there is also a Kopanina Nature Trail.