To spot the Museum of Applied Arts, look for a stately neoclassical building with pale stone walls, large arched windows lined in red, and elegant statues standing proudly on the roof-it's right in front of you along Husova Street.
Now, let’s whisk you back to 1873. Imagine the air buzzing with excitement and the clamor of industry-steam trains chugging, craftsmen hammering away, and a group of ambitious Moravian industrialists rolling up their sleeves. Right here, they founded the Moravian Industrial Museum, hoping to bring the latest trends and clever industrial inventions to Brno. In the very beginning, it was more about gears and gadgets, but people loved visiting so much, you’d think they were giving away free coffee and cake. The museum’s earliest exhibits even came straight from the grand Vienna World Exhibition that year-can you picture all those shiny contraptions arriving with a rattle and a clank?
The building you’re facing was designed to be impressive-and big enough to show off everything from model machines to the finest hand-woven fabrics. Officially opening with great fanfare in 1883, it wasn’t just a place to see beautiful objects; it was home to the biggest art history library in the whole region, with a reading room and drawing studios so grand, the local artists practically camped out inside!
But wait-the plot thickens. Over the years, the museum switched names more often than some people change socks: from the Moravian Industrial Museum to the princely Erzherzog-Reiner-Museum, and finally the Museum of Applied Arts. The collections kept growing-one day, you’d bump into pipes and kettles, the next, intricate glassware so delicate it made everyone nervous to breathe.
In the early 20th century, under the direction of energetic leaders like Julius Leisching, the museum became the talk of the empire. This place was so influential it was named the honorary headquarters for museums across the monarchy-imagine a bunch of curators having their secret society meetings, plotting how to bring more art and beauty into people’s lives.
But things didn’t always run smoothly-especially around the World Wars, when life outside was anything but beautiful. During the worst days of the Second World War, much of the museum was turned into offices for an armaments factory, and when bombs fell over Brno, even these grand walls shuddered. Post-war, a group of passionate curators and architects rescued the building from ruin. By 1947, it had been brilliantly restored-a phoenix rising from the ashes, now devoted not just to history, but to inspiring the next generation of designers and artists.
Finally, a dose of modern magic-since 1961, it has been part of the Moravian Gallery, and its most recent sparkling renovation wrapped up in 2021. Today, you can walk inside to find cutting-edge exhibitions on design, glass, ceramics, and even fashion-yes, this is where Czech designers strut their stuff. Don’t miss the ground-floor design shop if you want a little creative sparkle for your own home!
With every creak of the floors and every glimmer in the glass cases, you’re following in the footsteps of inventors, visionaries, and even a few slightly eccentric curators who believed Brno deserved to be at the center of the design world. It’s not just a museum-it’s Brno’s grand cabinet of curiosity, style, and innovation. Now, are you ready to see if design can truly change the way you see the world? Don’t forget to check out the permanent exhibition, 2000+, where the story of modern design rolls right up to today, and if you listen closely inside, you just might hear the faint echo of all those cranks, gears, and creative debates.
Interested in knowing more about the founding of the museum, the development of the museum during the monarchy or the the museum in the years 1918-1945
