Event: Czech Republic - Prague

National Technical Museum

When:	Daily; not Mon
Where:	National Technical Museum
Costs:	Kcs70; under 19s and students Kcs30
Opening Hours:	Tue-Fri 9am-5pm; Sat & Sun 10am-6pm

Prague's National Technical Museum has been documenting the changing face of technology and modern civilisation since 1908, throughout the Czech Republic's troubled 20th century. The museum covers everything from the brewing industry to the history of the automobile, from architecture to aviation, astronomy and alchemy.

The museum's collections total a staggering 58,000 items, only nine per cent of which are on display in the permanent exhibits. But the sheer number of individual items available to view (including all kinds of early cars and planes, which now look very strange indeed) is also complemented by the attention to detail of the exhibits. The exhibit that presents the history of mining, for example, contains not only tools and equipment dating back to man's earliest attempts at mining, but also a mechanised coal and ore mine that faithfully recreates the real thing.

If you're in Prague and you or your kids have an interest in science and technology (or think you should be cultivating one...), then the museum is well worth a visit. If you happen to be nearby on the first Friday of each month, admission is free from 12pm to 5pm.