Vysocina National Open Air Museum

Have you seen the local timbered houses somewhere? Well, yes, they starred in fairy tales such as Lotrando and Zubejda or Immortal Aunt. Vesely Kopec Open Air Museum can be found in the landscape like from a fairy tale on the border of the Iron Mountains and Zdarske vrchy. Almost thirty buildings here describe the everyday life of peasants from the first half of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century. To see timbered cottages you can also go to nearby Hlinecko, to its historical part called Bethlehem. In one of the local houses, an exhibition dedicated to carnival walks and masks in Hlinecko, which are on the UNESCO list attracts visitors.

Something about history…

Timbered houses began to be built here by small craftsmen from the middle of the 18th century. In addition to them, tailors, furriers, toy makers, saddlers, shoemakers, but also manufacturers of musical instruments and midwives lived and worked here. The first repaired houses were opened to visitors in 1993 and in 1995 a part of the Bethlehem in Hlinecko was declared a conservation area.

Something from the present…

In the accessible timbered houses you can see the workshops and dwellings of a weaver, toymaker, shoemaker, file maker or factory worker. In one of the timbered houses you will also find an exhibition of village carnival walks and masks from Hlinecko, which are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tours are open to visitors throughout the year, in addition to them you can also take advantage of special programs collectively marked as Living History. In Bethlehem it is also possible to visit a functional weaving workshop producing chenille scarves, our café or a herb shop. On Vesely Kopec there is, among other things, a unique collection of technical monuments powered by water. These include for example, a mill with a plum jam brewhouse, a groin step or an oil mill and sawmill.

For more information about the Pardubice Region, from which museum comes, click here and here.