National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library - Media Kit for NCSML General Info

National
Czech & Slovak
Museum & Library
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Media Kit:

General Information about the

National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

Quick Facts about the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

Founded in 1974, the NCSML is the nation’s foremost institution interpreting Czech and Slovak history and culture.

The museum/library attracts 20,000 – 30,000 visitors and program participants each year, from all 50 states and many other countries.

On Oct. 21, 1995, Presidents Bill Clinton of the United States, Václav Havel of the Czech Republic and Michal Kovác of the Slovak Republic presided over the current building's dedication, underscoring the international significance of the event and the NCSML.

The museum’s national advisory board includes Milos Forman (Academy Award winning director of One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Amadeus) and Capt. Eugene Cernan, the last astronaut to leave footprints on the moon.

The NCSML serves a national membership of more than 2000 with award-winning publications and programs.

Museum collections and library holdings total more than 30,000 items.

The NCSML offers a permanent exhibit, Homelands: The Story of the Czech & Slovak People, as well as special temporary exhibits. Visitors can also tour a restored 19^th century immigrant home.

The NCSML provides an annual schedule of more than 150 lectures, workshops, films, discussions, fine arts performances, children’s programs, fests, and events.

Governance: Board of Directors, headed by NCSML President/CEO.

History and Details About the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

In 1974, a group of second and third-generation descendants of Czech immigrants founded the Czech Fine Arts Foundation in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, with the purpose of preserving Czech heritage and culture. The group gathered Czech cultural artifacts, shared them at local events, and gave talks about Czech culture and history.

By 1978, the group’s artifact and document collections had grown. They opened a museum in a three-room house in the area of the city where the Czech immigrants had settled. The new museum attracted more volunteers and collections and in 1981, the collections were moved to a commercial building on the banks of the Cedar River next to the Czech Village, a historic commercial area. There, the collections were exhibited to the public on a regular basis.

In 1983, the group acquired a 19th-century immigrant home and moved it to the museum campus, next to the museum building. The home was restored and furnished to the 1880-90 period, and today remains one of the institution's most popular exhibits.

During the 1980s, local residents of Czech and Slovak descent continued to support the organization financially as well as through collections donations and thousands of volunteer hours. But the organization also began to attract attention, collections, and financial support throughout the nation. The name was changed to reflect this increasing significance, and on July 2, 1992, the Congressional Record officially recognized the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library.

By this time, the collections and activities of the 19-year-old museum/library were overcrowding the original 2200 sq. ft. building. Plans for a new 20,000 sq. ft. building, fund raising began, and ground breaking took place Oct. 28, 1993. Just two years later, on Oct. 21, 1995, Presidents Bill Clinton of the United States, Vaclav Havel of the Czech Republic and Michal Kovac of the Slovak Republic presided over the current building's dedication, underscoring the international significance of the institution.

One of the museum building’s most memorable vistas is its grand entry hall, featuring an impressive chandelier made of Czech glass. This hall was dedicated as the Roman L. Hruska Grand Hall in October 1996. Roman Hruska, a retired U.S. senator from Nebraska, attended the dedication ceremony. Captain Eugene Cernan, Gemini and Apollo astronaut and the last man to walk on the moon, provided the keynote address.

In 1997, the museum hosted an international exhibition, A Thousand Years of Czech Culture: Riches from the National Museum in Prague. The exhibit attracted visitors from all 50 states and 39 foreign countries. More than 30,000 came to see the old-world treasures, thus affirming the museum’s national reputation.

The museum’s permanent exhibition, Homelands: The Story of the and Slovak People, opened in 1998. Homelands goes from the Slavic tribes wandering into Central Europe through the Velvet Divorce of 1993.

In 2000, the former museum building was converted to a collections care center, expanding the institution’s capacity for collections. The NCSML currently has the largest museum-held collection of national costumes (kroje) outside the Czech and Slovak republics, and its library houses the nation’s premiere collections of Czech and Slovak language books and newspapers. Many of the museum’s 5,000 permanent artifacts date to the 19th century.

The museum campus includes a clock tower reminiscent of European design, an outdoor stage and garden, and the 19^th Century Immigrant Home.

The main building also offers a gift store and an assembly hall, which is available for community events and rentals. The museum is located in the center of Cedar Rapids’ Czech Village, one of Iowa’s most distinctive ethnic enclaves.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library offers a membership program, volunteer opportunities, publications, and a yearlong calendar of educational folk craft classes, seminars, lectures, music, tours for schoolchildren, temporary exhibits, and annual ethnic events, including:

Mid-March - St. Joseph’s Day Festivities

Second weekend in May - Houby [mushrooms] Days and National Bohemian, Moravian and Slovak Dance Festival

Late September/early October - BrewNost [an international beer tasting and fundraising event]

First Saturday in December - Sv. Mikuláš [St. Nicholas] Day

Exhibit and Store Hours

May 1 – October 31

Monday – Saturday: 9:30 – 4:00

Sunday: Noon - 4:00

November 1 – April 30

Tuesday – Saturday: 9:30 – 4:00

Sunday: Noon - 4:00

Monday: Closed

Library Hours

May 1 – October 31

Monday – Friday: 9:30 – 4:00

Closed Saturday and Sunday and all major holidays

November 1 – April 30

Tuesday – Friday: 9:30 – 4:00

Monday: Open by appointment only

Closed Saturday and Sunday and all major holidays

Admisson Rates

Admission to museum exhibits is FREE to members!

$7.00 for each adult.

$6.00 for each senior.

$2.00 for each child 5-16 years old.

Children under 5 with an adult companion are admitted free.

All children free on Sundays when accompanied by an adult.

$6.00 per person group rate available for groups of 10 or more with a confirmed reservation.

Note: Groups of five or more planning to visit the museum should notify Visitor Services staff in advance to arrange a time for their visit. Call 319-362-8500 to make arrangements.

Accessibility

The museum is handicapped accessible and has convenient free parking.

Location

In the Czech Village at 30 -16^th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 52404.

How to Find Us

Driving Directions to the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
From Cedar Rapids, Iowa	Follow the brown Czech/Slovak Museum signs from I-380 (Wilson Avenue exit).
From Omaha, Nebraska	Starting at I-80 & I-480, go east on I-80 for 239 miles (through Council Bluffs and Des Moines, Iowa). Turn North on I-380. Proceed 20 miles to Cedar Rapids. Follow brown Czech/Slovak Museum signs from I-380 (Wilson Avenue exit). Approximate driving time: 4 hours
From Minneapolis, Minnesota	Starting at I-94 & I-35W, go south on I-35W. Continue south on I-35 for approx. 142 miles. Turn east (left) on Route 3 for 47 miles. Continue east on US 218 for 25 miles. Continue east on I-380 for 52 miles. Follow brown Czech/Slovak Museum signs from I-380 (Wilson Avenue exit). Approximate driving time: 4 Hours
From St. Louis, Missouri	Go east on I-64 for 6 miles (enter Illinois). Turn north on I-55 for 125 miles. Continue north on I-155 for 32 miles. Turn West on I-74 for 96 miles. Continue west on I-280 for 18 miles (enter Iowa). Continue west on I-80 for 50 miles. Turn north on I-380 for 20 miles. Follow brown Czech/Slovak Museum signs from I-380 (Wilson Avenue exit). Approximate driving time: 4.5 Hours
From Chicago, Illinois	Starting at I-55 & I-90, go west on I-90 for 2 miles. Continue west on I-290 for 14 miles. Continue west on I-88 (toll) for 139 miles. Continue west on I-80 for 71 miles. Turn north on I-380 for 20 miles. Follow brown Czech/Slovak Museum signs from I-380 (Wilson Avenue exit). Approximate driving time: 3.5 Hours

Vicinity Map

Czech Points of Interest in Cedar Rapids

Many visitors to the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library ask about the Czech presence in Cedar Rapids. Go to the Czechs in Cedar Rapids to find out about some of the major sites or areas of interest that one can see during a visit.

Cedar Rapids Area Attractions and Lodging

Attractions and Lodging in Cedar Rapids

Cedar Rapids Attractions | Lodging in Cedar Rapids | Besthotels' Guide for Accommodations near the NCSML

Attractions in Eastern Iowa

Eastern Iowa Tourism Association | Amana Colonies | Iowa City / Coralville Area | Eastern Iowa Attractions | Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance

Attractions in the State of Iowa

Travel Iowa - The Official Iowa Tourism Web Site

Image Gallery

For a high-resolution image, go here.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.A.

For a high-resolution image, go here.

Children especially enjoy visiting the 19^th Century Immigrant Home.

For a high-resolution image, go here.

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.A. View from across the Cedar River.

For a high-resolution image, go here.

Dancers in colorful kroje [folk costumes] step to the music in the museum’s garden, during the National Bohemian, Moravian and Slovak Folk Dance Festival, held every July.

For a high-resolution image, go here.

Friends of the museum gather under the crystal chandelier in the Roman L. Hruska Grand Hall for the dedication of the Vera and Andrew Laska Gallery in June 2003.

Return to NCSML Home Page

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

30 - 16th Avenue SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404-5904

Phone: 319-362-8500 · Fax: 319-363-2209

This page was updated May 07, 2008

For a high-resolution image, go here.	The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.A.
For a high-resolution image, go here.	Children especially enjoy visiting the 19^th Century Immigrant Home.
For a high-resolution image, go here.	The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.A. View from across the Cedar River.
For a high-resolution image, go here.	Dancers in colorful kroje [folk costumes] step to the music in the museum’s garden, during the National Bohemian, Moravian and Slovak Folk Dance Festival, held every July.
For a high-resolution image, go here.	Friends of the museum gather under the crystal chandelier in the Roman L. Hruska Grand Hall for the dedication of the Vera and Andrew Laska Gallery in June 2003.