The Museum of Jindřichův Hradec was established as the city museum in 1882, and two years later its regulations were approved and its first exposition was opened to the public on the premises of the city chateau archives. In 1888 the exposition was moved to a building on Zakostelecké náměstí Square, and four years later to the municipal building ”Na váze” (on the scales) on Panská ulice Street. In 1898-1927 the museum was seated in the building of what used to be the old meat market, where about 18,000 people came to see the exposition over a period of 30 years. This is about one-quarter of the number of annual visits today. In 1928 a new exhibition was opened in the renaissance building of what used to be the Jesuit seminary on Balbínovo náměstí Square, where there is still a museum exposition today. In 1935 the museum opened its most attractive exhibition – ”Krýzovy jesličky” (Nativity Scene by Tomáš Krýza). In 1951 The Museum of Jindřichův Hradec became the main museum for the region, which was the case until 2003 (with an exception in 1963-64), when its administrator became the South Bohemia Region and the institute was renamed to Jindřichův Hradec Museum. From the 1980s the museum has administrated the extensive complex of the Church of Saint John the Baptist and the former Minorite Monastery on Štítného ulice Street, which underwent a complicated reconstruction. Today the complex houses the administration offices, a library with study room, conference hall, exhibition spaces and the expositions. The Jindřichův Hradec Museum collection contains over 50,000 display items, which represents over 100,000 collection objects of considerable historical, artistic and documentation value.
