Mendel Museum of Masaryk University

A must-see part of the city of Brno! If you have any interest at all in science and/or the history of human thought and intellectual development, this really is an important place to visit. As many will remember from their middle school biology course, Gregor Mendel was a monk and Abbot in the 19th century who carried out a series of experiments with the humble garden pea that laid the foundations for the field of Genetics. He received no credit for this groundbreaking work during his lifetime, but was recognized decades later for his brilliant insights and genius. While in Brno you can tour the monastery where Mendel lived and worked throughout his adult life. One can pre-arrange a personal tour at a very reasonable price in which you’re allowed to visit the important parts of the church and monastery where Mendel lived and worked. Our guide, Thomas, was wonderful. He was extraordinarily knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and very much wanted to make our experience a good one. He certainly succeeded. We were able to visit the refectory where the monks ate, and while there we learned the history of the monastery, which is fascinating. The visit to the chapel and church was beautiful. The artwork and the architecture are stunning. The Mendel museum itself contains a beautiful set of exhibits that explain modern Genetics in approachable ways. There are also many artifacts from Mendel’s days there, including books in which he made notations, research notes, his reading glasses, his annotated copy of Darwin‘s On the The Origin of Species, Mendel’s telescope, many of his meteorology instruments, and beekeeping paraphernalia. A highlight of the visit was getting to see and enter Mendel’s room where he lived for many years. We were able to see the garden in which he grew his peas (during summer months one can tour it). Another highlight of the tour was the library. It is an ornate, Baroque library with tens of thousands of volumes and beautiful ornamentation. An unexpected highlight was that they have on display a 16th century copy of Copernicus’s profoundly important volume on the heliocentric model of the universe - a book that many science historians credit with igniting the scientific revolution. There is a great deal of beautiful artwork in the museum there as well. We arranged our visit via email and they were very accommodating - even though our train to Bureau was TWO hours late! Thank you SO much to Thomas and the rest of the staff for an extremely informative and enjoyable tour of this various special place.

It's a small but nice and interactive museum, there's a lot of info on his biography, discoveries, and belongings. Visiting the museum is a great way to easily learn about him and his work, and the second half of the museum is full of interactive activities, making it great for kids. Be aware of the fact that vising the libraries you see in Photos here requires visiting another building with a prebooked guide. For the museum itself you buy the tickets when you enter, I think it was 3€ for students. Overall it was a nice experience, maybe I expected it to be a little bigger (basically only half the museum is about him exclusively).

Small but very interesting museum. There is a small collection with Mendel private objects and an interactive exhibition for the history of genetics. Appropriate for small kids. Very good option for people interested on biology.

Small but highly interactive and inspiring museum. The manuscripts and exhibits of instruments and objects used by Mendel himself are most valuable. Even walking in the garden and greenhouse outdoors where once Mendel himself was laying the seeds and harvesting the results of his observations literally was most inspiring. For that, I'm grateful for the scientists, historians and personnel who worked tirelessly to preserve all the invaluable gems of humanity for the future generations. Only drawback is the closing time is too soon.

Small but very nice museum, perfect if you have limited time in Brno. The entrance fee is only 100 CZK. Inside is well designed, though the main entrance could be more visible. No souvenirs when I visited – a pea-themed magnet would be fun. There’s also a small, local café. Overall, worth a stop. Thanks for all employees.

Museum is great and the abbey very nice; I ordered a guided tour (by email), because some parts are not accessible without it, and was the only attendee. Just had a two-hour educational experience (and a good one) all to myself. The most important thing is to go to the library— it will impress you even if you do not care about genetics— a small baroque gem. The story behind the museum is also very optimistic— just a smart guy who came to an augustinian monastery to make science and delivered big time. He didn’t get his due while alive, but he knew that the history will redeem him. And totally without drama; a nice garden, a smartly built greenhouse, the bees, the flowers, a supportive abbot, a placetime devoid of carnage. Just close the eyes and think what a nice world it would be, if all human curiosity would be satisfied in such uneventful and gemütlich way.

For anyone interested in the discovery of the (human) genome throughout history, this is a must-see. Familiar with Mendel's work, it's a refresher; for those still unfamiliar, it's a revelation. A relatively small museum with authentic documents, child-friendly, and easily accessible.

Mendel who gave me a hard time in middle and high school. The place where his achievements were made. It was interesting to see him in real life that I had only seen in textbooks. Student discounts are available for 100 koruna. It's a shame that his greenhouse has become modernized.