There are some of you out there that have virtually no idea that this museum exists and because of that, I am sorry. This is an amazing place with a fantastic amount of history cntained within it's walls.
In the early 1970's, a small group of second and third-generation descendants of Czech immigrants made the decision to found the Czech Fine Arts Foundation in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Their purpose was simple...they wanted to preserve Czech heritage and culture. This group worked for many years to to gather Czech cultural artifacts, to educate others about the artifacts and to preserve them for future generations. By the late 1970's their efforts had paid off in that they needed to purchase a house to store and exhibit their tresures. In1981, their heritage treasures were moved to a more permanent museum building and made much more accessable to the public.
In 1983, the group was lucky enough to locate and move a 19th-century immigrant home to the musuem grounds. This home has been restored and wonderfully furnished in the 1880-90 period, and in fact takes visitors back to the day of the early Chech immigrants in Iowa.
Hours of Operation of the museum are as follows: Open May 1 – Oct. 31: Monday thru Saturday, 9:30 – 4:00. Sunday, noon – 4:00.
Nov. 1 – April 30: As above, except closed Mondays.
Admission is FREE to members, and information is available to all about membership at the museum. For all others admission is.....
$7.00 for adults, $6.00 for seniors and large groups, $2.00 for children 5-16 years old. Children under 5 with an adult companion are admitted free. All children free on Sundays when accompanied by an adult. (this is a GREAT time to visit! :-) )
Reservations are generally needed for groups of ten or more, and they encourage you to call 319-362-8500 to make reservations and get information on how to locate the museum.
The bottom line is this. this is an important part of Iowa's history and of the history of the Chec people as well. it is a museum worth visitng and in fact would be a wonderful family outing. Check out this museum...you won't be sorry but you will be amazed at the history within!
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