The Museum of Puppet Cultures in Chrudim is a subsidized organization of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. It was opened on July 2, 1972. The basis of the museum collections was the private collection of Prof. PhDr. Jan Malík (1904 - 1980), tireless organizer of puppetry life, practitioner and theoretician, historian, pedagogue and collector. Jan Malík also helped organize the individual national centers of the international puppetry organization UNIMA to donate puppets from their countries to the museum. During the museum's existence, the collection has grown considerably and is still being added to. Today, the Museum owns around 50, 000 collection items, including more than 8, 500 puppets from all over the world. The collection also includes scenic designs and mock-ups, backdrops, art works with a puppetry theme, posters and programs, photographs, audio and video recordings, printed materials, manuscripts and other archives.
The museum library with a specialized fund is also voluminous, with around 18, 000 volumes.
The museum's activities are not limited to collecting and processing documents related to the development of Czech and world puppetry, but also organizes exhibitions not only in its premises, but also elsewhere in the country and abroad. He also prepares lectures and other accompanying programs for collectives and the public. Access to the Museum is partly barrier-free.