Naprstkova museum (http://www.aconet.cz/npm) In 1826 the Fingerhuts bought the Prague building U Halánk? which at the time housed a brewery and distillery. Within a matter of years their older son Vojt?ch would make this buliding famous literally throughout the world.

In 1848, after the upheaval of the revolution in Vienna and Prague, VOJTA NÁPRSTEK (1826 - 1894) sought refuge from police persecution for ten years in the United States of America, where he gained experience and understanding. Upon his return to Prague he tried to infuse some of his new found knowledge into Czech society. One of his most important activities was the construction of the private Czech Industrial Museum, which was designed to help the underdeveloped Czech manufacturing industry. Before long, the museum and library became the centre of the Czech intelligentsia, and, thanks to Náprstek's contacts amongst Czechs living outside their own country, was celebrated even abroad. Apart from technical exhibits, the museum also accumulated ethnographic and artistic artifacts, which Náprstek's friends imported from around the world. After his death, the museum became ethnographic, and after 1946 its bearing was orientated purely towards non-European culture.

The museum´s collections are extremely rich (about 95,000 three dimensional specimens, photographs, graphics, records, etc.) and only a very small part is exhibited in the PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS (American and Australian culture in the Prague exhibition hall, and ASIAN CULTURE in Lib?chov chateau in Central Bohemia). In the Prague building U halánk? there is also a PUBLIC LIBRARY for visitors, which offers not only books and periodicals, but other collections, many of which were established by Vojta Náprstek. There is also a collection of historical photographs, stereoscopic pictures, contemporary graphic art, books of press-cuttings and gramophone records. Also available is the extensive Náprstek family archive, plus those of notable Czechs living abroad. The museum is trying gradually to make all of its collections accessible to the public, like they have donve with the ?apek record collection.

The Marionette collection is located in ?eský Krumlov along with the collections of the National museum.