The Czechs are justifiably proud of their long traditions in industry and technology. Before communism, this was one of the world's most advanced industrialized countries. At the National Technical Museum, it's clear why. The depository holds nearly one million articles, although it can show only about 40,000 at a time. The array of machines, vehicles, instruments, and design documents is displayed in awesome detail. You can see the harbingers of radio and TV technology, the development of mechanization, and the golden age of rail service. (During the Austrian monarchy, velvet-lined cars were standard -- only to be replaced by the frayed vinyl upholstery used by today's Czech Rail.)

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Prague and the Best of the Czech Republic, 7th Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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