Birth house of Ivan Olbracht

The Birth House of Ivan Olbracht sits right in the center of Semily, facing the town's post office just off Riegrovo náměstí. It's one of the oldest houses in town — a modest single-story building where Kamil Zeman was born in 1882, a writer who would later become known under his pen name, Ivan Olbracht. His father, Antonín Zeman, was also an author, publishing under the pen name Antal Stašek. Since 1960 the house has served as a museum, and today it's home to the Museum and Pojizerská Gallery Semily.

How do you get there?

Semily lies in northern Bohemia, within the Český ráj (Bohemian Paradise) region, not far from Turnov and Jilemnice. The easiest way in is by car, along the road connecting Liberec with Jilemnice and Vrchlabí, which puts the Krkonoše (Giant Mountains) within easy reach afterward. There are also regular train connections from Liberec and Turnov, plus regional buses. The museum building itself stands right at a crossroads in the town center, an easy few minutes' walk from the train station — hard to miss once you're downtown.

What will you find inside?

The exhibition spreads across two levels. The upper floor and attic hold the permanent display, dedicated to the history, ethnography and art of the upper Pojizeří region — everyday objects once used by local households, traditional costumes and furnishings, and material tracing the lives of the two writers tied to the house, father and son, Antal Stašek and Ivan Olbracht. The ground floor works differently: it's given over to rotating temporary exhibitions that change throughout the year, and it doubles as event space for the museum's cultural programming.

Why is this house worth a stop?

Semily isn't the biggest draw compared with nearby Turnov or the Krkonoše peaks, but the Olbracht birth house is a worthwhile short stop for anyone interested in twentieth-century Czech literature. Ivan Olbracht ranks among the country's more significant prose writers, known for works including Nikola Šuhaj, Outlaw and novels set in Subcarpathian Ruthenia. Seeing the house where he was born, and pairing that with the regional ethnographic exhibition next door, gives a fuller sense of where his subject matter and sensibility came from.

When should you visit?

Like most regional museums of this kind in the Czech Republic, the house runs on full hours during the tourist season and can have reduced hours — or require advance notice for groups — outside of it, so it's worth checking the current opening schedule before setting out. Spring and summer are the best windows, letting you combine the museum visit with a walk around Semily and a side trip into the nearby Jizera Mountains or Krkonoše.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Birth House of Ivan Olbracht the same place as the Museum and Pojizerská Gallery? Yes — it's the same building. The writer's former family home has served as the seat of the regional museum since 1960.

Who was Ivan Olbracht? It's the pen name of Kamil Zeman, one of the leading Czech prose writers of the twentieth century, and the son of another writer, Antonín Zeman, who published as Antal Stašek.

What does the permanent exhibition cover? It focuses on the history, ethnography and art of the upper Pojizeří region, displayed across the building's upper floor and attic.

Does the house also hold temporary exhibitions? Yes — the ground floor is reserved for changing temporary shows and cultural events organized by the museum.