Following on from my previous post of Bratislava, (see here), a 4-hour train ride deposited us in lovely Prague. After a few days sightseeing and getting to know the place I discovered that there was also a transport museum. It is called the National Technical Museum, and is well worth a visit if you happen to get to Prague (Post Covid-19 of course). After you have walked through the various floors and exhibits you come out onto a landing to this view. As you can see there is a lot more than just automobiles; they have packed quite a collection in to this area, and most of the exhibits are in some way of Czech origin.
As we are on CC our main interest is with motor vehicles so we may as well start with the most famous Czech brand namely Tatra. Take a look at Paul’s fabulous Tatra post here if you need to brush up on this fascinating marque.
Now to just a few of the exhibits, may as well start with the Tatras.
This Tatra T-87 is the vehicle in which the Czech adventurers Jiri Hanzelka and Miroslav Zikmund travelled around Africa and South America from 1947 to 1950, they wrote several books about their journeys, made numerous films and sent back over 700 reports which when broadcast were the most listened to radio programs in Czechoslovakia at the time. Further viewing here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHCWtXkPEJg
Who needs a four wheel drive when you have a Tatra…Here is the same T-87 somewhere in the Congo.
This video translates as Quality Evaluation, A Tatra film with more footage of the Africa trip, also great vision of engine and gearbox teardown and inspection https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvShbf0OssYA
Also on display is this fabulous Tatra T-77A.
Aero Vodochody was and still is a large aviation company formed in 1919. Between 1929 and 1951 it produced 2 stroke vehicles under the Aero brand.
This is a neat little Aero 30 from 1934 up to 1947. This vehicle has a similar mechanical layout to a Citroen Traction Avant but instead has a water cooled 500cc 2 cylinder two-stroke engine.
This is its smaller, sportier brother, the Aero 50 from 1936, same layout but with a 1,000c 4cyl two-stroke. I think this is a fabulous looking little sports car, way ahead of what MG were producing at the same time.
Another defunct vehicle manufacturer was Zbrojovka, a Czech small arms producer based in Brno which also branched out into motor vehicle production during the inter-war years. This Z-5 Express of 1936 has a similar mechanical layout to the Aero but with a 1.5 liter 4-cylinder two-stroke.
A little known fact is that this same company designed a light machine gun in the thirties that was subsequently manufactured under license by the British as the BREN gun, the name of which is derived from the city BRNO and ENFIELD the site of the British Small Arms factory.
Praga is another large Czech company with a rich heritage which is still in business building aircraft.
This is a Praga Alfa cabrio from 1937-1942, a more conventional vehicle with a 2,500cc water-cooled six.
Another Hans Ledwinka design, again with his signature backbone chassis and swing axles. A 1935 Tatra 80 with a 5,900cc water-cooled V-12 no less. This particular vehicle was the official state vehicle of Czechoslovak president T.G Masaryk.
Great introduction to this museum. I just added this to my bucket list. Thanks for the presentation.
The top picture looks like a real-life image out of a Richard Scarry children’s book. I think I could spend about 5 hours in just that one room.
Oh, how true is that. Hadn’t thought of those wonderful books in decades. And given I easily spent a few hours on each page of Scarry as a kid, I’d need at least all of your 5 hours for a room full of the real thing.
Scarry books were (and are) brilliant! Recommend them, and this museum wholeheartedly!
Also on Prague is the Karel Zeman museum. A pioneer Czech film maker known for his incredible movies that combined animation with live action in a style that resembled 19th century engravings by illustrators like Dore and Bennet and Riou. ‘Baron Munchausen’,and ‘An Invention for Destrution’, based on a Jules Verne work are only two examples of his brilliant work.
Looks to be worth Czeching out. Sorry.
I know still less than I thought I knew I did. Or didn’t. That is, my lessnessness increases daily, or, put another way, I find daily that I have an ever-expanding knowledge of nothing, and yet the total of more and more of things that I thought I knew are shrinking, or possibly increasing in their negative size.
I hope I am clear.
Also, I must get to this museum one day, before all of the less of my presumptive more is greater than the lesser sum of the more that I have failed to know, less or more (or, ofcourse, more or less, whichever is the lesser. Or more).
To illustrate the point, a V-12 Tatra, I mean, fair dinkum, who amongst me knew? I certainly didn’t, and neither did I. (“Not enough oversteer in the T-87? Try our coachbuilt V-12, front-engined, but the special swing axles make it feel just the same, only with much more go. As we say here at Tatra, “óver you go'””)
Another great post, Mr D.
(Btw, I suspect the eye-watering marvel of the untouched 1938 Championship W-154 isn’t just the most valuable object in the museum but that there are folk out there who’d pay more than dear old Prague itself for the thing).
In the shadow of the English, French, Germans and Italians that we No Americans associate with European engineering and industrial prowess, lies this little gem of a place. Turn every corner and you run into something that will surprise you, and not just in the mechanical realm.
I visited Prague (and Brno) in 1969 and was very impressed. I don’t know if this museum existed then, but if it did, I missed something special. On the other hand, just wandering the streets at that time revealed dozens of thirties and forties era cars, curbside, usually with someone hovering over it or underneath it, seeing if they could make it go again.
Thanks for this.
Surprise to see no mentioning Skoda. Skoda was then and is now a major auto manufacturer. During the communist regime, Skoda made passenger car, heavy duty truck, bus, trolley and even locomotive. For short period in 80s, you could buy one in Canada.
Wondering if they had any Jawa/Eso motorcycles? Especially speedway motorcycles!
Hi Jerome
Yes,you can see some of them on the second floor landing on the opening photo.
The Czechs are obviously quite proud of the success of the Jawa brand,there is quite an extensive display there.
To cover the bikes would take a whole new post,here is just one of the Jawa on display.
Oh I see them now! Great! Thanks! Will put on the bucket list!
To think I went to that city twice and never saw this museum… Ah well, they were different times. Beer was higher on the list of priorities then.
Third time lucky, assuming transcontinental flights are resumed someday.
Depending on just how high a priority the beer was, it’s possible you DID go to the museum, you know.
Prost!
Doh! If only I knew about this museum when I was in Prague in 2007. Perhaps another time?
Lovely city, thanks for the article.