museum of west bohemia (západočeské muzeum)

It was difficult getting into and around this museum speaking absolutely no Czech, but we were rewarded with a wonderful little museum with a great collection of weapons, a small but impressive Meissen porcelain collection and an interesting local history room with boards in English. As a previous reviewer said, some of the staff were unfriendly but the woman at the armoury spoke English and was very helpful and informative. Worth at least an hour of anyone's time.

The armory section of the museum is really worth visiting - particular highlights include a large collection of hand-cannon, blunderbuss, fire-locks and other medieval firearms, along with a decent selection of pole-arms. It is a great exhibition, however the employees were extremely grumpy and unpleasant. This was a surprise to us, especially given we were virtually the only visitors. Maybe this was why. Possibly they wanted us to leave so they could get back to sitting and staring vacantly at the wall as they appeared to be doing when we entered...

This was one of most interesting museums I've visited outside of Prag, during my 2 month stay in Czech republic.It is divided into 3 separate exhibitions. First one is Plzen armory, which is definitely worth a visit. It has a very extensive collection of medieval and baroque warfare, from polearms, swords, armor to early cannons and guns. Walking among stacked shelfs will make you feel like an medieval general! Archeology and History sections feature exhibits from as far as stone age, and up to the 19th century. Archeology sections doesnt have English explanation, but that doesnt represent some problem. On the top floor, there is an temporary exhibition of Czech porcelain, situated in an stunning baroque ball room. Collection is very small, but quite unique.It is recommended to take "deluxe" ticket for all 3 exhibitions, since it costs 3 euros per person, which is an very small amount of money for such an nice experience. Tour around the building can take up to 2 or 3 hours.Museum is all days except for Monday, from 10-18h.

This museum is divided into three distinct exhibits: the Plzen Municipal Armory, the Archaeology wing, and the History wing. You can by a ticket to see any one of them, or all three -- and the price of the latter is so low that there's no reason not to get that "deluxe" ticket.The Municipal Armory is a collection of weapons, armor, and other military hardware which dates mainly from the 16th-17th centuries, which is sure to delight Ren Faire fans or military history buffs. The objects in collection have been lovingly preserved, and are laid out on shelves and racks to give you the impression that the 17th Century Town Militia might march in at any moment. There's also a distinctly human side to the Armory: you can still see, for example, the initials or monograms of their owners on some of the muskets' stocks. There's only one drawback here, but it's a biggie: sadly, they don't allow photos to be taken in the Armory, so you won't be able to take any images home from the exhibit. It's a real shame, considering how nicely presented it is -- but at least you can go onto the museum's web portal, which has 360-degree panning photos of the two main rooms. Still, it's not the same thing as getting your own photos, but it'll have to do.I'm an archaeologist myself, so I was very curious to see how they set up the Archaeology section of the museum. The Archaeology section covers a vast period of human prehistory in Western Bohemia, ranging from the Palaeolithic through the Iron Age. While there aren't any famous treasures in here, the objects on display are extremely well-preserved considering their age, and have been laid out with considerable care. Also, there are several videos and other displays which give detailed information about the ongoing experimental archaeology projects being done in this region, such as smelting bronze the old-fashioned way -- but like everything else in the Archaeology section, these are only in Czech. Even without the explanations, there's a lot to see and marvel at, but it's a real shame that the archaeology section has no explanations in English or German (which is quite noticeable because both the History section and the Armory do.)Finally, the History section houses numerous informative displays which cover various aspects of life in Western Bohemia from the 11th-19th centuries AD. Although most of the exhibits focus on historical developments in Plzen itself -- not surprising, as it's the regional capital and the largest city -- there are also some displays which touch on, for instance, the lives of rural peasants during the 12th-13th centuries. As a result, a very nice cross-section of Western Bohemian history is presented in this section.On the whole, I was very impressed by this museum. The curators have clearly put a great deal of time, effort, and thought into making the most of the materials they have to work with to tell the story of the region's past in an engaging way. The only real frowny-face I have to offer is the lack of English or German explanations in the Archaeology section; otherwise, I highly recommend this museum to anyone visiting Plzen who is even remotely interested in history, art, or archaeology!

This was interesting, especially the history and archaeology, the latter having quite an original take on things as it was showing how different tools were actually made- except that there was no English explanation! I am sure that not that many visitors understand Czech!

Крайне интересная экспозиция истории Западной Чехии от древних людей до начала Нового времени. Будет интересен и увлекающимся историей (богатая коллекция археологических находок и средневековых предметов), и просто туристам (огромная коллекция впечатляющего оружия, познавательные фильмы, для понимания которых не нужно знание иностранных языков).

Considerando seu caráter regional, o Museu da Boêmia Ocidental é um grata surpresa! O ingresso 'deluxe' que abrange suas 3 seções separadas é tão barato que vale a pena optar por ele.A seção de armas é bem interessante e muito bem cuidada. A seção arqueológica é bastante abrangente e bem organizada. E a seção histórica documenta com muitos detalhes a história de Pilsen e de seus arredores ao longo do 2o milênio da era cristã.O único senão é a prevalência de explicações no idioma tcheco, sem tradução para outras línguas, especialmente para o inglês.

武器庫、ボヘミアングラスやマイセンのコレクションコーナー、古代から近代までの歴史展示等々、多彩な展示内容になっている。ピルゼンが他の町に比して優位に立っていた歴史を知ることが出来る。そのような蓄積があってこその工業都市にピルゼンは成功したのだろうと思わせる。　見学コーナーごとによって料金設定等があるので、入館時にセット券を購入しておくとよい。原則撮影禁止。