Three trips in one – historic US cars (part 2)

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This article is the second part of a trilogy about three trips in one. Here is the first part: Three trips in one - historic trains, and here is the third: Three trips in one - a healing spring.

In the first article, I described how to get to the railway museum in Lužná by train, bus, and car. Both museums are relatively close to each other. For those of you who want to combine visits to museums and healing springs with hiking, I am attaching two maps.

Two maps - two routes

The first shows the shorter route from the railway museum to the American Veterans Museum. It takes about half an hour to walk.

On the first map, the points only show the direction of the route. On the second map, they also show the direction, but at point three, there is a slightly hidden seating area on the right (at least that was the case in 2024). Point 5 leads around the pond (Čistý) and as you climb up to the road, you should see horses grazing. They are also still by the road opposite the museum.

Museum

It is not located directly in the village, but in a former sawmill surrounded by forests. It is usually only open on weekends. During the holidays, however, it is only closed on Mondays. But to be sure, check the museum's website jkclassic.cz in advance.

The museum consists of four halls with beautiful and long American cars, mainly from the 1950s and 1960s. It also has a gas pump, shelters for commercial vehicles, etc. In the near future, I expect the number of exhibits to approach 100.

Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me—that’s how it is on the road.

Jack Kerouac, author of the novel On the Road (written in 1951, published in 1957)

Exception

Several things caught my attention, pleased me, and surprised me. For example, the fact that the exceptionally beautiful 1937 TATRA T87 domestic car earned its place in the museum.

A few interesting facts about this type of Tatra car:

3,023 units were produced,

maximum speed 100 mph,

it had a V8 engine in 1937, which was a world rarity,

travelers Jiří Hanzelka and Miroslav Zikmund took it on a trip to Africa and South America,

in 2010, The New York Times named it the collector's car of the year out of 651 competing cars,

its owners included Hans Ledwinka, John Steinbeck, E. F. Burian, Vítězslav Nezval, Antonín Zápotocký, and Jay Leno (American comedian and presenter).

Information

A perfectly crafted information sheet hangs above each vintage car in the hall. If you look up and read the technical and descriptive information, your tour will be more than just a casual viewing of the cars. It will just make your visit a little longer. Visitors can take photos of the banners and later browse through them again on their mobile phones. The banners are easy to photograph and read.

In addition to passenger cars, the museum also has a few trucks, fire engines, etc. And when it comes to brands, in addition to the traditional ones such as Ford, Cadillac, and Buick, there are also brands that I have never heard of before (AMC, GMC, EDSEL).

And where to go from the museum? You can go back to the train or get in your car and drive away. The third option is to head to the spring. But more about that in the third part of the trip trilogy.

The short video was shot with older technology, hopefully that won't bother you:

Terrain Difficulty

Both routes are easy with a slight elevation and are suitable for adults, children, and seniors.
The second route is probably more interesting. It leads around Čistý Pond and a small settlement. In good weather, you will encounter a few local residents, tourists, or cyclists. When you leave the forest and enter the field, you will see the main part of the village of Lužná on your right. The station and railway museum itself are located in the part of the village called Lužná II.