In Brussels, Barcelona, ​​Cologne, York, Budapest and in many other cities there are places dedicated to one of the most beloved desserts in the world - chocolate. This article will focus on the Chocolate Museum in Prague, but for starters, a bit of history.
Chocolate: homeland and main types
The birthplace of popular sweets are Africa and South America. It is here that cocoa beans grow, from which chocolate is made after frying, grinding and subsequent processing. This is a pretty high-calorie treat (about 530-550 kcal per 100 grams).
The first to drink chocolate were the Aztecs and Mayans. They made a bitter, hoppy drink from cocoa beans.
There are three main types of chocolate: dark (bitter), white and milk.
White is considered the sweetest. It contains vanillin, milk powder and no cocoa at all. That is why the color of this chocolate is white. Cocoa butter is used for its manufacture.
Milk chocolate contains cream and milk, which somewhat reduces the benefits of cocoa products. Milk chocolate has the highest fat content.
Dark chocolate is considered the most healthy. It has the least sugar, and there are no other additives at all. Dark chocolate can improve blood circulation, helps lower blood pressure, protects blood vessels from free radicals.
You can learn more about this beloved dessert by visiting the Chocolate Museum in Prague.
The Way of Sweets to Europe
This path was long and branched; it was overgrown with legends and myths.
The first European to try this product was Christopher Columbus. It was at the very beginning of the 16th century. He didn’t like chocolate, therefore, taking these wonderful beans with him, he didn’t make any special advertising for them.
After almost two decades, in 1519, General Cortez and his conquistadors brought chocolate to Europe and introduced the Spanish court to a new dessert. He was loved in the form of a drink with a large addition of sugar.
In 1786, sweetness falls into Russia, the Venezuelan ambassador brought from America and presented this treat to Empress Catherine the Great.
For quite some time, only rich people could afford chocolate in the form of a hot drink: nobles and merchants. The reason for this was the high cost of the product, which was delivered from America across the ocean and European ports.
But in 1850, the situation changed when the German Theodore Einem, deciding to do business, opened a modest chocolate factory in Moscow. Subsequently, the famous factory "Red October" was founded on the basis of this enterprise. The first chocolate produced in this production was named after its creator Einem and had very expensive packaging.
In the second half of the 19th century, cafes and restaurants began to open in many cities of Russia, where you could try a hot chocolate drink.
Chocolate Museum in Prague Choco-Story
The official opening of this delicious museum took place in September 2008 near the center of the Czech capital.
Right at the entrance to this unusual place, guests are greeted with a bar of chocolate or a hot cup of this aromatic drink.
The museum has three main halls:
- In the first, the guide tells visitors about where and how cocoa beans were discovered. It tells how the ancient tribes began to prepare a drink from them, seasoning it with hot pepper, and how cocoa crossed the ocean and appeared in Europe.
- The second room introduces the secrets and recipes for making chocolate. Here you can find out what silk chocolate is and why its recipe cost fabulous money. Also in this room they talk about production methods, show the tools that are used in the work. Hammers and axes for sugar, molds for casting sweet tiles and antique special dishes are on display.
- The third room features a solid collection of chocolate packaging, wrappers and labels. There is also our "Alenka".
One of the rooms broadcasts an English-language film about the process of creating chocolate: from the cultivation of cocoa beans to the production of hard tiles familiar to us.
The exposition of the chocolate museum is also represented by paintings by Vladimir Cech. They decorated almost all the walls of the Choco-Story inside. They owe their uniqueness to the fact that they are written with real chocolate, and their author is called Prague Picasso for its originality.
Not just a viewer
In addition to acquaintance with the exhibits, guests can receive a master class from the best confectioners and independently prepare, for example, a cup of a hot aromatic drink or a bar of traditional Belgian chocolate. Immediately all this can be tasted.
For lovers of painting, they offer a lesson on creating a picture using real chocolate colors - an original opportunity to show their creative abilities.
In addition to all this, the museum in Prague offers a game for children. At the entrance, the little sweet tooth is given eight cards, which during the tour need to be placed in the correct order on a piece of paper. Those who do the job will have a sweet prize.
According to reviews, the Chocolate Museum in Prague is an interesting place for the whole family. Excursions are very informative, and the chocolate is incredibly delicious. Museum is recommended for visiting. True, the exposure is small, visitors complain.
Chocolate shop Viva Praha
It is located at the exit of the museum. The products are not cheap, but exclusive and of high quality.
Here you can buy sweet souvenirs for family and friends. In addition to a large selection of Belgian chocolate of various shapes, there are caramel, nougat and candies. Everything is packed in gift boxes and sachets.
History of the opening of the museum
The first cultural institution in the world to gather sweet exhibits under its roof was a museum in Bruges (Belgium). And this is no accident. Belgium has always been called the sweetest country, and local confectioners were famous for their ability to make the best chocolate in the world. The idea of ​​creating a sweet museum appeared after the next festival was held here, where chocolate masterpieces were exhibited. It was difficult to try all the products during the holiday, so they decided to justify the museum on this place and move sweet crafts there after the event closed.
This cultural institution is located in an old castle of the XVII century. Once in the museum, you plunge into the world of the ancient Mayan and Aztec tribes - they were the first to learn how to get cocoa and make a drink based on water and spices.
There is a tasting room in the museum and a souvenir shop, here you can watch the work of famous confectioners.
Choco-Story in the Czech Republic is one of the branches of the Belgian Chocolate Museum. There are also offices in France and Mexico.
The sweet museum in Prague is located in a building that has its own solid history. In the fourteenth century there were several houses on this site. In 1514, during the reconstruction, they were combined into one structure. In 1945, the architectural structure, which now houses the museum, survived a severe fire and was on the verge of destruction. But fortunately, it was restored.
The facade of the building is decorated with a small stucco of white color in the form of a peacock. This bird figurine is nothing more than a house number. So about 500 years ago in Prague, the numbering of buildings was indicated. The white peacock also survived the fire, but has survived and is now an element of decor and part of the story.
Working hours
The Chocolate Museum in Prague is open daily from 9.30 to 19.00.
The schedule, depending on the season, is changing. Therefore, it is better to clarify it in advance on the official website.
Ticket price
- Adult ticket - 390 CZK.
- Reduced - 340 CZK. This category includes students, children aged 6 to 15 years and retirees.
- Children under 6 years are entitled to free admission.
The ticket price includes unlimited tasting sweets.
For participants in group excursions (from 10 people or more) discounts are provided. It is advisable to pre-order this service by phone or on the museum’s official website. There you can discuss the opportunity to attend interesting workshops at a discounted price, which offers its guests Choco-Story.
Prague card
Another secret. If you decide, having arrived in Prague, not only to visit the Chocolate Museum, but also to see other no less interesting places, then you should buy a Prague tourist guest card - the Prague Card.
It gives you the opportunity to get benefits or even free of charge to see many attractions of the Czech capital, take a free sightseeing tour of the city, and when visiting the museum itself, presenting this card, you can get a 30% discount.
How to get there Museum Address
How to get to the chocolate museum? You can take the subway (green line). Stop - station Staroměstská. Next we cross the Old Town Square on foot.
There are trams number 1, 2, 17, 18 and 93 and bus number 194. Stop at Staroměstská. Then also on foot along Kaprova street through the square you need to go straight to the building with the sign Choco-Story.
Museum Address: Celetná (Celetna) 557/10, Old Place, Prague 1, Czech Republic.
You can use a car, but it should be remembered that due to the location of the building in the historic center of the city, parking directly next to it is prohibited.