The exhibition Bohemian Crown Jewels – Habsburgs 500 commemorates five hundred years since the accession of Ferdinand I Habsburg to the Bohemian throne. It traces the fate of the Bohemian Crown Jewels from their deposition at Karlštejn, through their transfer to Vienna during the Thirty Years' War, to their solemn return to Prague in 1791. It was then that they became one of the modern symbols of Bohemian statehood, historical continuity, and national identity.
Alongside the St. Wenceslas Crown, the richly decorated royal scepter and orb, originally personal insignia of Ferdinand I, will also take center stage. The coronation robe from 1653 or the historical keys of the keepers of the crown archive, as well as sovereign portraits and other contemporary depictions commemorating the connection of the crown jewels with the Habsburg dynasty, will also be on display.
Practical information
The Jewels will be ceremonially retrieved from the Crown Chamber in St. Vitus, Wenceslas and Adalbert Cathedral on Monday, September 14, 2026. For the following four days, school classes will be able to view them. The exhibition will be open to the public from Saturday, September 19, to Monday, September 28, with free admission again.
September 15, 16, 17, and 18, the exhibition is reserved exclusively for pre-registered school groups registration here
September 19-28, the exhibition will be accessible to the public
How to get to the exhibition: Entrance is from Hradčanské náměstí through the gate to the Southern Gardens and via the Bull Staircase to the III. Courtyard and into the Old Royal Palace.
Bohemian Crown Jewels – Habsburgs 500
Opens in 63 days
