National Gallery Prague
Prague's National Gallery contains endless important works, and visitors should try to spend at least a day or two seeing it while in the city. Located in nine different locations including the lovely Sternberg Palace, the museum's collections hold permanent exhibitions of European art, as well as various temporary exhibits.

The roots of the National Gallery date back to 1796, when a group of prominent Prague citizens formed the Society of Patriotic Friends of Art in order to advance what they dubbed the 'debased artistic taste' of the local population. They created an Academy of Arts as well as a Picture Gallery, which would grow in the future to finally become the National Gallery. The mandate of the National Gallery is to 'Alleviate the Nation's Spirit through Art," and with the beautiful collection they've managed to gather, the Czech's spirits should be soaring.

The Society of Patriotic Friends purchased the Sternberg palace in 1811, and the collections were finally opened here to the public in 1814. In succeeding years the palace was sold yet again to various owners, but after the Second World War it once again returned as the National Gallery, as it remains to this day. The Sternberg Palace (Hradcanske namesti 15) is the main building of the National Gallery, holding European art (except for Czech art) from the fourteenth to the eighteenth centuries, including works by El Greco, Van Gogh, Picasso, Van Dyck and Bruegel.

The smaller of the National Galleries venues should not be overlooked, as they too contain wonderful collections. St. George's Convent (Jirske namesti 33) is home to early Czech art, including Bohemian paintings and Baroque sculpture. The Convent of St. Agnes of Bohemia (U Milosrdnych 17) holds the remaining Czech works in the collection, those that are from the 19th century.

The Kinsky Palace (Staromestske namesti 12) in the Old Town Square holds the prints and drawings collection, while the Zbraslav Castle (Ke Krnovu 2) contains all of the non-European works in the collection. Contemporary art can be seen at the Trade Fair Palace (Dukelskych hrdinu 47), which holds the modern collection, containing 19th and 20th century Czech and European art. The House at the Black Madonna (Celetna 34) is home to Czech works of cubism. Temporary exhibits are located at both the Prague Castle Riding Hall (U Prasneho mostu - Prague Castle) and the Waldstein Riding School (Valdstejnska 3). For more information on exhibits, log onto http://www.ngprague.cz/main.php?language=en