History of the museum

Foundation of agricultural association that developed the expert and exhibitive activity preceded the foundation of Jičín's museum association.

Regional agricultural club (a branch of Patriotic agricultural Company in Prague) had been working in Jičín since the 50's of the 19th century. But this club showed only a little activity until 1960 because it was not able to deal with the change of political conditions.

The real recovery of museum activity was brought first in 1883 thanks to the Literary unity in Jičín. Assignments were developed and the town pledged to contribute financially every year, provide appropriate area and provide items for the foundation of the museum. But first the collecting of materials for the Ethnographic exhibition (1895), whose idea arose by the time of organizing the Anniversary exhibition (1891), became the engine of focused collection and separate exhibitive activity in regions. After that the Regional museum got the place in the building of Czech saving bank and only then it was possible to create a temporal museum exposition.

The activity of the museum was first collecting of materials, its preserving and assuring of correct placement. A publishing activity began in 1933. There were published two annuals (1933, 1934). The anthology of the Museum association in Jičín was founded in 1935 but its publication was forbidden during the Protectorate on 23. May 1941. It was not restored after the war.

Gradually, the museum started to miss enough space for storage of collective items. The museum was closed during the occupation and at that time there were many archives and books of various clubs added up. The museum was reopened on 1. April 1947. There were about 20 thousand pieces and 30 thousand books in the museum at that time. But the museum had to leave the area of the Czech saving bank on 3.May 1948. It got new space on the first floor of the castle where there used to be a supplying office. The museum was solemnly opened on 12.June 1949.

The reconstruction of the castle began in 1969 and therefore the museum had to be closed. It was not open until 25.February 1989 and three years later it started to publish Museum news devoted to Jičín's history and surrounding villages. The Museum news is irregularly supplemented by an extra issue.

The exhibition of the 700th anniversary of the town existence was opened in 1993 with a big portrait of Albrecht of Valdštejn. A Conference hall was also introduced to the public on 5.June the same year. This hall used to be a place of diplomatic meetings among Austria, Prussia and Russia against Napoleon in 1813.

A ceremonial opening of the exposition of academic painter Radek Pilař took place on 20. October 1994. The temporal Home land study exhibition was completed by setting up the natural part in 1995. The master oratory in the St. Jacob church was opened in April 1998 and exhibition Cathedral in the middle of nature became a part of visitor's tour. The exposition Valdštejn and Jesuits was set up in the big hall in 1999 and in 2000 building works took place that made the closed rooms available together with setting up a play room and workshop place of the Museum of play. The Radek Pilař's exposition was relocated into the town Information centre in 2000. Rooms of Home land study exposition were together with other exhibition areas in the upper floor of the castle closed due to the rebuilding of ceilings in the middle of 2001.

The Home land study exposition and exhibition hall were opened on 1.June 2002 and two weeks later the museum introduced the new Home land study exposition connected to the interactive way of tour coming out the play rooms and workshops in the Regional museum and Gallery in Jičín – Museum of play.

Our museum also got the most prestigious inland price – first place in the national competition Gloria musaealis thanks to this new conception of expositions.