Gold half-ounce medal for the foundation of the National Technical Museum 2008 Proof

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National Technical Museum 100th Anniversary

The gold commemorative medal - Foundation of the National Technical Museum, was issued by the Czech Mint in 2008. The medal is struck in 1/2 ounce (15.56 g) of the purest 99.99% gold in top proof quality. These gold medals are rarely seen and are therefore highly sought after by collectors and investors. The medal comes in a red plastic box along with a certificate of authenticity in a limited edition of only 200 pieces!

National Technical Museum in Prague

The beginnings of collecting technical relics in Bohemia are related to the establishment of the business organisation Jednota for the encouragement of industry in Bohemia in 1833. As part of the educational activities of the Jednota, a collection of various machines and instruments was gradually created and made available to those interested in education. The first private, publicly accessible technical museum was founded by Vojta Náprstek from machines imported mainly from the USA and England. However, these were rather new machines to inspire domestic manufacturers.

In 1891, in connection with the Jubilee Exhibition, there were attempts to keep some of the exhibits in permanent displays. This idea has not yet been implemented. However, the establishment of the Vienna Technical Museum at the beginning of the 20th century accelerated these efforts. In 1907 a preparatory committee was formed and on 5 July 1908 the founding meeting of the Technical Museum of the Kingdom of Bohemia took place. The establishment of the museum was also connected with another large industrial exhibition in 1908. Some of the exhibits, together with the collections of the Unity for the Encouragement of Industry, became the basis of the collections. The first exhibition was opened in the Schwarzenberg Palace in Hradčany on 28 September 1910.

A new museum building had been planned since the 1920s. However, an architectural competition was not announced until the 1930s and construction according to the winning design (by Milan Babuška) took place in 1938-1941.

The building was not used for museum purposes until after the war. On 1 March 1951 the museum was nationalized (before that it was still owned by the founding association). The expositions were further expanded - especially the mining exposition in 1952-1953. In 1995, due to the poor condition of the building, a partial reconstruction was carried out.