7 fascinating facts about… Bibles, memorials and Bible museums
Together, we will visit places where the written word has shaped history – from the legendary Kralice Bible to modern attractions. On the Kudy z nudy portal, you will find inspiration for trips and information about opening hours, and then you can set off in the footsteps of the most famous Czech Bibles and their museums. A surprising combination of history, traditional crafts and human stories awaits you, which is definitely worth seeing with your own eyes.
1. The Kralice Bible, a book that was created in a secret printing house
The inconspicuous town of Kralice nad Oslavou in the Třebíč region hides one of the most significant stories in Czech book history. It was here, in a medieval castle near the Church of St. Martin, that the secret printing house of the Czech Brethren existed between 1578 and 1620. Not only religious and secular books were produced there, but also the famous Kralice Bible, which is still considered an exceptional work of language and translation.
Although the fortress was destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War, its massive foundations and cellars have survived for centuries. They are a reminder of a time when books were printed there almost in secret. Today, this tradition is commemorated by the Kralice Bible Monument, listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s first monument dedicated to a book, and also by the Kralice Bible Memorial, which describes the activities of the Brethren printing house, its secret operation and its relocation from Ivančice. On display are original lettersand other artefacts of the printing craft discovered by archaeologists, along with stories of important figures of the time, including Jan Amos Comenius and Jan Blahoslav. You can immerse yourself in the time of the Kralice Bible with the painter Alfons Mucha in his Slav Epic, where one of the canvases depicts the Brethren School in Ivančice as the cradle of the Kralice Bible, with Mucha’s hometown in the background.
2. Velehrad: The Bible for young and old
The exhibition Bible for Young and Old in Velehrad shows that the Bible does not have to be just words between covers. It offers not only a unique collection of different versions of the Bible, including a faithful copy of the Shroud of Turin, but also more: it presents the Bible as a book that has inspired human life, knowledge and culture for many centuries. It also commemorates the spiritual and educational influence of Saints Cyril and Methodius.
In Velehrad, you can not only see the Bible, but also “touch” it. The exhibition is interactive, which means that you can use tactile elements and participate in activities on touch screens. This makes biblical stories and contexts a real experience.
3. In Jablunkov, you will find Bibles in hundreds of languages
The old Elizabethan monastery in Jablunkov has a rich history: from a religious house and hospital to a grammar school and today social housing. It has gradually been transformed into a place where old books are given a new lease of life. The building houses the World Museum and Library of the Bible. Its collections show how diverse a single book can look. You will see hundreds of historical Bibles and spiritual books from the 16th century to the present day – for example, Melantrich’s Bibles from the 16th century, editions in the Zulu language, and translations into Esperanto. There are also powerful human stories, such as handwritten picture books with biblical stories, which were personally brought to the museum by an 82-year-old donor, or a book written and illustrated by a seriously ill author.
You will also find curiosities that will surprise everyone: a Bible rewritten on cigarette papers by a political prisoner so that he could always have it with him, a seven-kilogram ceremonial editionfor important events, and also a “Bible for water”, which is literally displayed under water. This Bible, made of a special material whose composition remains a secret, is unique.
4. Small Bible Museum in Pelhřimov
Although the Small Bible Museum in Starý Pelhřimov has the word “small” in its name, its collection is surprisingly extensive. You will find over 360 copies of the Bible in 59 languages, from the 16th century to the present day. This unique collection is listed in the Czech Book of Records.
The exhibition shows the Bible in all possible forms: pocket editions for soldiers, motorcyclists or hospital patients, miniature Bibles (in fact, the Museum of Records and Curiosities confirms that Pelhřimov is no stranger to miniatures and similar curiosities), and even a “Bible for bad weather,“ which is resistant to water and fire and is kept in an aquarium. There are also some unusual interpretations, such as comic book versions of biblical stories created from thousands of LEGO scenes. In addition to these curiosities, you will also discover real historical treasures: the Melantrich Bible from 1549, the Kralice Bible from 1587, and the Writings of St. Augustine from 1506.
The museum also focuses on the times when the Bible was considered a dangerous book. Banned copies were hidden behind beams, under car seat covers, and, according to one family memory, even in bread dough. Among the most valuable exhibits is a 200-year-old Torah scroll made of parchment from 57 cow hides, which was donated to the museum by a foreign foundation. And if you want, you can try your hand at how the Bible was created: you will see hand-copied Hebrew and Greek texts, writing with a quill pen, and printing on a replica of a historical printing press.
5. The Devil’s Bible, the largest handwritten book in the world
The creation of the Bible is not always accompanied by pious intentions. The Codex Gigas, known as the Devil’s Bible, has a legend about a monk who was supposed to write a book summarising all knowledge in one night. When he realised that this was beyond his powers, he reportedly asked the devil himself for help – and added a full-page illustration of him to the book. This illustration is one of the most famous images in medieval manuscripts.
In reality, the story is less romantic, but still fascinating. The codex was created in the 13th century, probably in the defunct Benedictine monastery in Podlažice. It measures almost a metre in height and weighs about 75 kilograms; it is estimated that the 310 preserved pages required the skin of about 160 donkeys or calves. Another interesting feature is the uniform handwriting – the text appears to have been written by a single hand without any signs of ageing or change in style.
The book has had an adventurous journey across Europe. From Czech monasteries, it found its way into the collections of Emperor Rudolf II at Prague Castle, from where it was taken by the Swedes as war booty during the Thirty Years’ War. Today it is located in Stockholm and returned to Bohemia for only a few months, when it was exhibited in Prague’s Klementinum. Whether The Devil’s Bible was written by an exceptionally patient scribe or contributed to by a dark legend, one thing is certain: few books can boast such a fascinating story and impressive dimensions.
6. The oldest biblical texts lay in caves for two millennia
One of the greatest archaeological discoveries of the 20th century is the Dead Sea Scrolls. A Bedouin shepherd found them by chance in 1947 in caves near Qumran. Experts have determined that they are thousands of fragments of ancient manuscripts, many of which contain the oldest known texts of the Hebrew Bible.
Some of the scrolls are more than two millennia old. Thanks to them, we now know how surprisingly accurately biblical texts have been copied over the centuries – the differences between ancient and more recent versions are often very small. The story of the Bible is therefore not only spiritual, but also detective and archaeological.
7. The Bible changed the world – and thanks to it, the Czech language survived difficult times
When Johannes Gutenberg improved the printing press in the mid-15th century, one of the first major books he printed was the Bible. Gutenberg’s Bible became a symbol of the information revolution of its time: for the first time, it was possible to distribute books in larger quantities and at a more affordable price. About 180 copies were produced, each slightly different, as the hand-coloured initials were added after printing. Today, these copies are among the most valuable books in the world, worth tens of millions of dollars. The Bible thus became not only a spiritual publication, but also a driver of technological and cultural change.
The Kralice Bible played a similarly important role in the Czech lands. It was the first Czech translation from the original biblical languages — Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Jan Blahoslav, bishop of the Unity of the Brethren, worked on the translation together with other theologians and philologists. It was not just a matter of translating the text, but of very careful work with extensive commentaries and notes.
The result? First-class typography and excellent Czech, and the work was so extensive that the first edition came in six volumes — the so-called “six-volume edition”. It was the language of the Kralice Bible that helped to preserve and develop the Czech language during the Counter-Reformation and exile. Thanks to it, we read and speak Czech today as we do.
