CEKUS Chotěboř – Městské muzeum

CEKUS Chotěboř – City Museum preserves the history of the town of Chotěboř and its surrounding region in the Vysočina area of the Czech Republic. Its holdings run to more than thirty thousand items spread across six thematic collections, making it one of the more substantial regional museums in this part of the country.

How old is this museum?

The institution traces its roots to April 26, 1885, when a municipal local-history museum was founded in Chotěboř — a period when regional museums of this kind were only beginning to take shape across the Czech lands. The organization has survived well over a century of administrative change. Since January 1, 2009, the museum has operated under the umbrella of CEKUS, the Chotěboř Centre for Culture and Services, which also brings together the Ignát Herrmann Library, the local information centre, and the Přátelství cinema. Before that, from 1994, the museum ran as its own municipal cultural organization, until the town consolidated its cultural services into a single structure.

What is in the collection?

The museum's holdings are organized into six sub-collections: documents and prints, numismatics, historical artifacts, books, geology, and fine art. That spread lets visitors trace not just the story of the town itself but the wider region — from administrative papers and printed material of past eras, through coins and medals, to geological specimens tied to the surrounding Vysočina landscape. The historical and fine-art collections round out the picture of local material culture and the identity the town's residents have built up over generations.

Where is it and how do you get there?

Chotěboř sits in the Havlíčkův Brod district of the Vysočina region, in the east-central part of the Czech Republic. The town has good road and rail links to nearby Havlíčkův Brod and to the region's larger centres. The museum's coordinates are roughly 49.7254° N, 15.6737° E, placing it in the town centre — an easy walk from the main square and central streets.

Is the museum open right now?

This matters for anyone planning a visit: the museum is currently undergoing a major relocation and rebuild. In 2019 the town purchased the former post office building to house the museum's new premises, and renovation work has been underway since 2024. During this period the museum is closed to the public. Reopening in the new location is planned for September 2, 2026. It's worth checking the CEKUS website for the current status before setting out, so as not to arrive at closed doors.

Why visit once it reopens?

The new home in the former post office building is meant to finally give the museum space that matches the scale of its holdings — more than thirty thousand objects is a collection that the previous premises struggled to display in full. For visitors exploring Vysočina, the museum sits naturally on a route through Chotěboř and the region's other attractions, offering a window into local history, craft, and the identity of a town that has been systematically documenting its own heritage since the late nineteenth century.

Frequently asked questions

When was the Chotěboř museum founded? The municipal local-history museum was established on April 26, 1885. It has operated as part of CEKUS, the Chotěboř Centre for Culture and Services, since 2009.

How many items does the collection hold? More than thirty thousand objects, divided into six sub-collections: documents and prints, numismatics, historical artifacts, books, geology, and fine art.

Can visitors currently tour the museum? No — the museum is being relocated to a renovated former post office building, with work underway since 2024. Reopening is planned for September 2, 2026.

Where exactly is Chotěboř located? In the Vysočina region, Havlíčkův Brod district, in east-central Czech Republic, at approximately 49.7254° N, 15.6737° E.