Prague City Museum

This excellent museum, opened in 1898, is devoted to the history of Prague from prehistoric times to the 20th century. Among the many intriguing exhibits are the brown silk funeral cap and slippers worn by astronomer Tycho Brahe when he was interred in the Týn Church in 1601 (they were removed from his corpse in 1901) and the Astronomical Clock’s original 1866 calendar wheel with Josef Mánes’ beautiful painted panels representing the months – that’s January at the top, toasting his toes by the fire, and August near the bottom, sickle in hand, harvesting the corn. But what everybody comes to see is Antonín Langweil’s astonishing 1:480 scale model of Prague as it looked between 1826 and 1834. The display is most rewarding after you get to know Prague a bit, as you can spot the changes – look at St Vitus Cathedral, for example, still only half-finished. Most labels are in English as well as Czech, but you’ll need the English text (available at the ticket desk) for Room I (prehistory to medieval).