Postal musem Library

The Postal Museum Library builds on the former Official Library of the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs, which began its activities in 1920 and, at its inception, incorporated the library of the Prague Directorate of Posts and Telegraphs. This library primarily collected literature related to the ministry’s activities, as well as various domestic and international official regulations. In addition, it also gathered works on the history of postal services.

After 1945, the Postal Museum developed its own book collection, focused mainly on philately. The library was later expanded to include books from the holdings of the Czech Philatelic Society, as well as parts of the former library of the stamp design department of the Federal Ministry of Communications and a portion of the collection of the Research Institute of Telecommunications.

The library’s holdings therefore include official reference materials, notably postal administration bulletins (from 1839 onwards), bulletins of individual postal directorates, registers of postal employees, postal regulations, and railway timetables. A unique collection is formed by Czech telephone directories, which have been preserved almost in their entirety. Also of great importance is the collection of philatelic journals, encompassing both classic titles—beginning with the earliest, Le Timbre Poste—as well as limited-circulation periodicals published by Czech regional philatelic clubs.