The South Bohemian Museum is one of the most important cultural institutions in South Bohemia. It was founded in 1877 as one of the oldest regional museums and started its first activity in the premises of today's town hall in České Budějovice. The first collection items came from donations of city citizens and compatriots. Their subsequent frequency prompted the construction of a museum building in the neo-Renaissance style. The new monumental building in today's Dukelská Street was then opened to the public in 1903.