Atomic nuclei are objects with a complicated internal structure but many aspects of their behavior can be understood in terms of relatively simple models. Since early times in nuclear physics many nuclear models have been developed. Among them, two basic types are of special importance. The shell model which converts the nuclear many-body problem to the independent movement of particles in a potential well, and the collective model which describes low energy excitations as the manifestation of the coherent motion of nucleons. In the article we review, in a nutshell, basic ideas which significantly influenced our understanding of nuclear phenomena., Atómové jadrá sú komplexné objekty so zaujímavými vlastnosťami a bohatou vnútornou štruktúrou, Dôležité informácie o dejoch vnútri jadier sa dozvedáme zo štúdia ich spektier a skúmaním jadrových reakcií. Pochopenie dejov vnútri jadier je nevyhnutnou podmienkou pre ich využitie v jadrovej energetike, medicínskych aplikáciách ale aj pre porozumenie procesom produkcie prvkov vo hviezdach., and František Knapp.