PopMuseum

PopMuseum is Prague's Museum and Archive of Popular Music, dedicated to the history of Czech and Slovak popular music. Housed in the Kaštan cultural centre in Prague's Břevnov district, it combines a research archive with a compact but densely packed permanent exhibition.

Where did this museum come from?

Popmuseum was founded as an independent voluntary association, officially registered with the Czech Ministry of Culture in November 1998. The seed of its collection came from archive materials gathered in the mid-1990s during the making of the TV series "Bigbít," which documented the history of Czechoslovak rock music. That documentary project grew into a standing institution, which has since steadily expanded its holdings with further memorabilia from musicians and events of the region's music scene.

What will you see inside?

The permanent exhibition centers on musical instruments, mostly electric guitars of Czechoslovak manufacture along with selected keyboard instruments used in the former Czechoslovakia. Beyond instruments, the collection holds album covers, photographs, written documents, audio-visual recordings, period radios, and manuscripts by Karel Kryl, one of the most important Czech singer-songwriters. Part of the material covers the history of Czechoslovak rock between 1959 and 1972, the formative years of the local "bigbít" scene. The museum also runs a branch in Moravia, Poparchiv in Brno, which houses a digital archive along with a collection of LPs and their covers.

How do you get there?

The museum sits on Bělohorská street in Prague's Břevnov district (Prague 6). The easiest way to reach it is by tram lines 22 or 25 to the "U Kaštanu" stop, named after the Kaštan cultural centre where the museum is based. From central Prague, the journey typically takes fifteen to twenty minutes.

Who is this place for?

PopMuseum is primarily a destination for music enthusiasts: memorabilia collectors and researchers of Czechoslovak rock history alike. Given its intimate, archive-driven character, it isn't a mass-tourism attraction with extensive visitor infrastructure — it's more of a niche stop for anyone curious about the history of popular music in Central Europe.

When should you visit?

The museum keeps opening hours typical of smaller cultural institutions, so it's worth checking the current schedule before visiting. As a non-profit organization, PopMuseum may have more limited opening days and hours compared to the large state museums in the city center.

Frequently asked questions

How is PopMuseum different from the National Museum in Prague? PopMuseum is a small, specialized museum and archive devoted solely to Czech and Slovak popular music, run by an independent association — a completely different scale and focus from the large, state-run National Museum.

Can you see original instruments used by musicians? Yes, the permanent exhibition mainly features electric guitars of Czechoslovak manufacture and keyboard instruments used in the former Czechoslovakia.

What is the "Bigbít" connection to the museum? "Bigbít" was a 1990s TV series about the history of Czechoslovak rock music; the archive materials gathered while making it became the founding core of today's Popmuseum collection.

Does the museum have a branch outside Prague? Yes, Popmuseum runs a branch called Poparchiv in Brno, which holds a digital archive and a collection of LP records.