Hussite Museum in Tabor

Husitské muzeum v Táboře

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The museum's research activities focus on the history of Hussitism and Tábor in the late Middle Ages, the early modern period and the modern era. It also studies Hussite traditions and Czech historical memory connected with Hussitism and the Czech Reformation. The Museum carries out rescue archaeological research or archaeological supervision activities within its territorial scope. The Blatské muzeum in Soběslav and Veselí nad Lužnicí carries out professional activities in the fields of natural science (botany and zoology) and social science (history, art history and ethnology). The research focuses, for example, on the Hussite and Hussite memorial sites and monuments of the Czech Republic, flora and vegetation of the Tábor region, small fauna of the Tábor region, folk architecture of the Tábor region, history of the Soběslav and Veselsko regions or artists of the Tábor region with an emphasis on the Soběslav and Veselsko regions. The activities of the Hussite Museum also include the organisation of conferences and professional meetings, seminars or involvement in research and educational projects of other institutions. The results of research are consistently communicated to the public in the form of educational programmes - especially for all school levels - lectures, excursions and also through extensive publishing activities, including on-line programmes.

Services

Services for the private sector: 

• With few exceptions, the Hussite Museum does not conduct research activities for the private sector. It is a memory institution with a public service obligation and therefore does not focus on scientific research for the private sector. The only significant exception is the archaeological supervision of construction projects within the meaning of the Heritage Act in its territorial jurisdiction. The main purpose of archaeological supervision is the protection or preservation of movable cultural heritage that could be endangered during construction work. The archaeologists of the Hussite Museum actively cooperate with the investors of construction projects in order to avoid unnecessarily increasing their costs and prolonging the construction work. The principle is mutually beneficial cooperation.

Services for the public sector:

• The main mission of the Hussite Museum as a scientific institution is to conduct basic and applied research and to make its results available to the professional and general public in an appropriate manner. The basic means of dissemination of research results are exhibitions, publications, lectures, seminars, lecturer programmes and excursions. The Hussite Museum publishes a peer-reviewed journal and many non-periodical publications. In addition, the Hussite Museum regularly organises scientific conferences with international participation. The Hussite Museum actively cooperates with educational institutions of all levels, from primary schools to universities. It is also involved in lifelong learning and senior education programmes.

Equipment / infrastructure

The Hussite Museum has built sufficient infrastructure for research activities for the time being. In 2019, professional staff are using the renovated office space in the main building of the museum. This is also where the depositories equipped with modern fire protection and security systems are located. In addition, the Hussite Museum has specialised depository spaces for archaeological collection items and a central depository for ethnography or other collection areas. The specialized library of the Hussite Museum is equipped with a modern storage system, its book collection and periodical collection are transferred to an electronic catalogue accessible on-line. There are also conservation workshops and workshops for exhibition activities.

Best practices / case studies of cooperation

Cooperation with the private sector is limited to archaeological rescue research for business entities (private companies) or for individuals. An important part of archaeological research is carried out by the Hussite Museum for companies that carry out construction and engineering work on state infrastructure projects (railways, motorways).

Keywords

Memory institution, basic research, applied research, archaeological rescue research, collection development, editorial activities, international conferences, lecturer programmes, lifelong learning.