The Regional Museum in Skuteč

No matter whether you wish to see the longest shoe in the Czech Republic or to walk through a stone quarry, you should set off to the museum in Skuteč. The museum was established in 1910 by Václav Jetmar, the principal of the local school. Since 1954, it has been located in a house that belonged to the family of the wife of the composer Vítězslav Novák. He also died in the house and is remembered there by a permanent exhibition on the first floor. The museum offers a permanent exhibition that acquaints visitors with the two traditional crafts that the town was most famous for, namely shoemaking and stone cutting. The products, machines and equipment map out the individual eras of development. Visitors are acquainted with the earliest history of the shoemaking guild and with the working of stone. The history and present of stone cutting is not only presented by means of a varied geological exhibition, but also in an outdoor exhibition which takes visitors through a quarry and its typical workplaces in the period from the end of the 19^th century to the mid-20^th century.

The shoemaking exhibition presents ancient guild orders and artefacts, the development of shoemaking during the era of the First Republic, when Skuteč was a shoemaking superpower, and the phenomenon of Botana (sneakers). In addition to shoes, there are also shoemaking machines and equipment. The exhibits also include the quite exceptional longest shoe in the Czech Republic with a length of 1080 mm.

Both exhibitions are supplemented not only with both photographic presentations and films from the areas of stone cutting and shoemaking, but also with interesting games on a touchscreen. The museum also organises short-term exhibitions with various themes, lectures, chamber concerts and demonstration events for various crafts.

The museum has received a special award in the main category of the Gloria musaealis National Museum Competition for its permanent exhibitions on shoemaking and stone cutting.

The building is located in the town centre. It is possible to park on Palacký Square [Palackého náměstí], from where it is just 140 metres to the museum. The distance is the same if you arrive by bus. It is a pleasant walk of just under 1 km from the railway station.