National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library
History Museum · Cedar Rapids, Iowa
The national museum of Czech and Slovak America, in the Czech Village of Cedar Rapids, founded in 1974 and dedicated in its earlier building on 21 October 1995 by Bill Clinton, Václav Havel and Michal Kováč in front of some seven thousand people. In June 2008 the Cedar River put eight feet of water through it. Rather than abandon the site, the institution physically moved the fifteen-hundred-ton building to higher ground over two days in June 2011 and reopened in 2012. Its clock tower carries the only Prague-style astronomical clock in the United States.
1400 Inspiration Place SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 52404, United States
Admission is typically about $10-$15 for an adult with reductions for students, children and seniors; members enter free. Free parking on site. ⚠ CHECK WHICH DAY IT CLOSES BEFORE TRAVELLING — like most museums of this size it shuts at least one day a week, and Cedar Rapids is far enough from the rest of Iowa's seeded places that a wasted drive is a real cost. Guided tours run on a schedule and are worth taking for the story of the building's 2011 relocation, which is hard to grasp from a panel. The library is a working research collection with its own access arrangements — contact the museum in advance. The Czech Village neighbourhood outside is free to walk and has its own bakeries and shops.
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