Metánovské muzeum – Kabinet profesora Hrona

Metánovské muzeum – Kabinet profesora Hrona (the Metánov Museum – Professor Hron's Cabinet) is a small biographical museum in Metánov, a picturesque hamlet that administratively belongs to the municipality of Částrov in the Pelhřimov district, Vysočina region. Housed in the building of a former village school, the exhibition is entirely devoted to Jakub Hron Metánovský – a local teacher, inventor and eccentric whose ideas travelled far beyond the region.

Who was Professor Hron?

Jakub Hron was born in Metánov on 4 June 1840 and died on 29 April 1921. By profession he was a village schoolteacher, but his real passion lay in experimentation – linguistic, technical and philosophical alike. He coined his own original Czech neologisms, wrote poetry and philosophical texts, and alongside all that built small inventions meant to make everyday life easier. His greatest claim to fame is the so-called "buňát" – a spill-proof inkwell he patented in 1891. This unassuming object reportedly ended up on the desk of Karel Čapek, one of the most important Czech writers of the 20th century, which alone says a lot about the reach of a provincial teacher's invention.

What will you see at the museum?

The exhibition occupies a single room in the restored former school building in Metánov and centres on objects Hron himself designed, modified or invented. Among the pieces on display are stools of his own construction, a personal meter standard he built, and the so-called "ruťáty" – three-dimensional objects of his own devising that resist easy classification but capture his creative eccentricity perfectly. Alongside these are everyday items from the period, which help place Hron's story within the context of rural life at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The core of the collection, however, remains the famous buňát together with documentation of his other patents and linguistic inventions – the museum works less as a straightforward object display and more as a local archive of memory dedicated to one of the region's most unusual figures.

How do you get there?

Metánov is a tiny settlement in the heart of the Vysočina region, administratively part of the municipality of Částrov in the Pelhřimov district. It makes a good stop while exploring the quieter, less touristy but scenic corners of this part of the Czech Republic, and pairs well with routes through the surrounding villages of the Pelhřimov district. Given how compact the exhibition is, it's best treated as one stop on a longer trip through the region rather than a standalone destination.

When should you visit?

The museum can be visited year-round, but only by prior arrangement over the phone. This is typical for small, community-run local institutions – it's worth contacting the museum's caretakers well ahead of time, especially if you're planning a visit from outside the region.

Frequently asked questions

When was the museum founded? The museum opened on 19 May 2007, in the building of the former school in Metánov.

Who runs the museum? It is operated by the Jakub Hron Educational Society together with the municipality of Částrov.

What was Professor Hron's famous "buňát"? It was a spill-proof inkwell patented in 1891 – Jakub Hron's most famous invention, said to have found its way onto the desk of writer Karel Čapek.

Do you need to book a visit in advance? Yes – the museum can be visited year-round, but only after arranging the visit by phone in advance.