Krňovice Open-air Museum

In 2002, a unique project was launched in Krňovice, a village that belongs to the town of Třebechovice pod Orebem. The people behind the project of the Krňovice Open-Air Museum decided to build this museum in order to introduce vernacular village architecture from the region of Eastern Bohemia. Step by step, historical buildings and farmsteads are built here with expositions that enable visitors to compare the present way of life with the past. Moreover there are examples of authentic crafts, machines and tools necessary for the life of previous generations. In the museum there are both buildings representing vernacular architecture that were transported from their previous locations in the region of Hradec Králové and the foothills of the Orlické Mountains, and restored buildings that had been destroyed earlier. The building materials used - wood, spongilite and bricks in various combinations - are typical of this region. Wood was used not only for the construction of timbered houses, but it was also the major material for barns, roof frames and other technological facilities such as mills, or sawmills. Spongilite was typically used in the region for masonry. It is a wide spread material in the area and the remnants of small quarries can be found all around the region. Around the farmsteads in the museum, orchards with original, local cultivars of fruit trees are being established. The exhibition of drives from horse gear to electric motors can be also seen in the museum. The exhibits are functional and are connected to authentic machinery. Furthermore, an exhibition about motoring in the 1920s is being prepared. The exhibits include Tatra automobiles, constructionally unique tractor Lanz Bulldog from 1939 and other related technology and tools. The exhibits in this section are also functional. The exhibition further includes an ice house which used to belong to a restaurant in Krňovice. Ice gathered in winter from the frozen arms of the Orlice River was kept here all year long. Moreover, a brewing and beer racking exposition is being prepared in the museum. At the moment a timbered watermill is transported from the town of Běleč nad Orlicí and other similar projects are planned (the transport of timbered school from 1760). The listed mill will provide an opportunity to see how grain was milled around 1900 when the mill was driven by a water wheel fuelled by surface water. Moreover, you can visit the nearby town of Třebechovice pod Orebem with Třebechovice Museum of Native Scenes with a world-famous wooden mechanical nativity scene.