Dvořák Birth House Museum

Born in the small Czech village of Nelahozeves in 1841, Antonín Dvořák is one of the world’s most celebrated composers. His music has travelled far beyond his birthplace; his Symphony No. 9 ‘From the New World’ remains one of the most widely performed works in the classical repertoire, and a recording was even carried aboard Apollo 11 in 1969.

Following a five year restoration, the Antonín Dvořák Birth House Museum now provides an immersive setting in which visitors can discover his early life and the traditions that shaped his music. The completed project is the first phase of a wider masterplan for the historic site, which includes the redevelopment of neighbouring Nelahozeves Castle, historic seat of major European art patrons the Lobkowicz family, establishing a framework for its long-term cultural and architectural future. 

Dvořák’s music was rooted in everyday life and deeply connected to his surroundings. It was born of church bells and birdsong, the clink of glasses and the hum of the village around him. A railway built close to the house opened in 1850 when he was nine, and is understood to have sparked his lifelong fascination with railways, engines and technical innovation, interests that later found expression in his music.

Following an international architectural competition, Wright & Wright were commissioned by the House of Lobkowicz to reconnect Dvořák’s story with the village, landscape and buildings that shaped his early life, and to attract new audiences to a world-class museum commensurate with Dvořák’s international legacy. 

Through extensive research and collaboration with heritage authorities, Dvořák’s family house and surrounding former agricultural buildings were adapted to accommodate rehearsal and performance spaces, alongside a new cafe overlooking the courtyard. Additional exhibition space was created in a former granary across the courtyard, providing a sequence of rooms for flexible display. 

At the heart of the design, the courtyard was conceived as a ‘village square’ connecting the historic and new buildings. Entrances are clearly expressed and carefully controlled views draw the eye towards St Andrew’s Church beyond, where Dvořák was baptised and first performed as a child. A new education centre occupies the footprint of a former barn identified through historical maps. Traditional materials such as timber, terracotta slip and local stone have been used throughout. 

Working with exhibition designers Ralph Appelbaum Associates, the visitor experience follows historic rooms and newly created spaces to evoke the sights, sounds and atmosphere of the world in which he grew up. Sound, film, projection and interactive elements are carefully integrated into the historic fabric, allowing visitors to experience the everyday sights and sounds that helped shape his music. They can hear the lullabies sung by Dvořák’s mother, play a zither and explore his connection to the village and its surrounding landscape through historic objects and contemporary exhibition technology.