Kouřim: Open-Air Museum, Town History and Stará Kouřim

Kouřim combines an unusually rich cultural history with a landscape that can be explored along a documented route. The Muzeum lidových staveb, historical exhibitions, the Church of St. Stephen and the Stará Kouřim hill each offer a different focus. If you are traveling with varied interests, you can choose between architecture, archaeology, crafts and a hiking trail.

Folk Culture at the Open-Air Museum

The Muzeum lidových staveb in Kouřim is the only open-air museum in the Czech Republic with a nationwide focus. It enables visitors to directly compare different regional types of folk architecture from the 17th to the 19th century. The grounds include 14 larger residential and farm buildings as well as several smaller monuments. Throughout the year, the open-air museum hosts numerous folklore and other accompanying programs.

One-day courses in traditional crafts are held regularly. You will learn practical craft skills and take home a handmade souvenir. There is a parking area for cars and buses in front of the entrance to the grounds.

Church and Museums Tell the Story of Kouřim’s Past

The Church of St. Stephen is one of the most important examples of early Gothic European architecture. Its crypt of St. Catherine features a star-vaulted octagonal ceiling and wall paintings from the early 15th century. The Muzeum Kouřimska is housed in the historic Old Town Hall and documents the history of Kouřim and its immediate surroundings.

A permanent exhibition is accessible year-round at the Muzeum Kouřimska; the temporary exhibitions are renewed three times a year. In addition, there is a long-term archaeological exhibition about the early medieval hillfort of Stará Kouřim.

Stará Kouřim and a Documented Hiking Route

Stará Kouřim is a hill on a raised gneiss block above a bend in the Výrovka River. Its steep slopes reach heights of up to 60 meters. The site was inhabited from the Late Stone Age through the Early Middle Ages. The Stará Kouřim educational trail provides further information about the Stará Kouřim hillfort. Lechův kámen, a gneiss rock near the hillfort, is located along the trail.

The “Okolo Kouřimi po stopách prvních Slovanů” hiking route begins and ends in Kouřim, is 4.6 kilometers long and takes about 1.5 hours. This allows you to incorporate a specific historical route into your travel plans without focusing solely on museum visits.

Other Buildings and Visitor Information

The Chapel of Our Lady of Help is a Baroque five-sided chapel built between 1724 and 1727 based on a design by Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel. The interior is not accessible to visitors. The Prague Gate is the only surviving one of Kouřim’s former five entrance gates and is considered one of the best-preserved monuments of its kind in Central Europe.

Discover More Places

For further discoveries, you can also visit Vrátkov, Kbel, Žabonosy, Grunta, Český Brod, Dobřichov, Lipec and Tatce.

To the higher-level travel overview: Kolín District.