New National Library of the Czech Republic. City Library in Prague (Městská knihovna v Praze)

Prague is a real treasure trove of medieval architectural masterpieces. However, among them there are those that stand out even against the backdrop of such incredible diversity. One of the pearls of the Czech capital is a whole complex of buildings in the Baroque style, which today houses the National Library of the Czech Republic, a small museum and a concert hall.

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The history, which began in the 11th century, is like a reflection of a variety of events that took place in Prague. Originally there was a small chapel in honor of St. Clement on this site, hence the name. Gradually, a whole monastery was formed around it - a refuge for the Dominican Order. In the 16th century, the political and religious situation in Prague changed dramatically and power passed into the hands of the Jesuits, who turned Clementinum into the center of Catholicism. In the 17th century, the Jesuits were expelled from Prague, but they soon returned and their influence became even stronger. And along with it, the importance of the complex increased not only in the religious but also in the public life of the city. The library of Charles University was moved here and the once small chapel turned into a real Temple of Science.

Gradually, the importance of the Jesuit order increased, and with it the treasury grew richer. The lands around Clementinum were bought up, the territory grew, and more and more luxurious buildings in the Baroque style were erected on it. Naturally, they were designed by the best architects of that time. At the same time, they managed to achieve amazing unity - the complex looks very harmonious. Several civil buildings of the 18th century have survived to this day (there were more than 30 in total): a mirror chapel, an observatory, a mathematical museum, a weather station and, of course, a luxurious library, which cannot be ignored separately.

Library in Baroque style

The Clementinum library is considered one of the most beautiful in the world. Created in 1722, it has undergone virtually no changes - visitors can see with their own eyes how book depositories were structured in those distant times and feel the spirit of the 18th century. The walls and ceiling of the library are decorated with frescoes by Joseph Dibel, united by a common theme - science and art. For some similarity with church paintings (although, of course, a very relative similarity), it is often called the Temple of Wisdom. The center of the hall is decorated with huge globes.

On massive wooden shelves there is a huge number of books, including rare and even unique ones. The most valuable exhibits are located on the upper levels, away from prying eyes. Here you can find both handwritten and first printed editions. True, it is very difficult to gain access to them - special permissions are required for this.

Opening hours and ticket prices

Currently, the Clementinum is under restoration (tentatively until 2019); only the Hall of Mirrors, where concerts are periodically held, is accessible to the public. Before the closure, the complex worked according to the following schedule: from 10-00 to 20-00 in the summer season (from April to October), from 10-00 to 18-00 in November-December and from 10-00 to 16-00 in January -March. Whether this schedule will continue in the future is unknown. The cost of the excursion was 220 CZK for an adult, 140 for students. There were also family passes costing 500 CZK. Perhaps, after the completion of restoration work, something will change in this matter.

How to get there

The Clementinum complex is located in the center of Prague, at Marianske namesti building 5, near Charles Bridge. You can get to it by metro, the nearest station is Staromestska, or by tram - the stop is also called, routes 2,17,18 and night route 93 pass through it.

The capital of the Czech Republic, Prague, has a wide variety of attractions and places that every tourist needs to visit. One of these treasures of Prague is the Clementinum - a whole group of buildings in the Baroque style, in ancient times it housed the Jesuit College, and now it houses the National Library of the Czech Republic. All buildings of the complex are located on a huge territory, and this complex is considered the second largest in terms of area after Prague Castle.

At the beginning of the thirteenth century, the Clementinum complex in Prague was considered a Dominican monastery, but during the period of hostilities, the monks’ home was quite destroyed, and all the buildings were in a dilapidated state for a long time.

In the mid-sixteenth century, the monastery building came into the possession of the Jesuits. Architect Wohlmut began work on the complex. Under his leadership, the monastery building expanded, with the addition of additional premises, the area of ​​the complex was also expanded. Designers from the province followed the exact instructions of the Roman generals, represented by the leading architect Karl Lurago.

Reconstruction of the complex continued until the order was dissolved at the end of the eighteenth century. The complex now has a large number of rooms for conducting lessons, a library, a theater studio, and even a printing house, which for two hundred years was the only one in the Czech Republic. At the end of the eighteenth century, all the buildings were in the possession of the archbishop's seminarians, and all the buildings were converted from the Baroque style to the early classicism style.

The entire ensemble consists of a series of closed two-story buildings with five courtyards. The main advantages of the Clementinum are: the astronomical and clock tower, as well as the structure of the printing house. Also be sure to look at the baroque-style sundial and the fountain-reservoir.

The interior of the classrooms is done in a restrained style, but the public places that promote faith are decorated with various types of artistic creativity. All rooms have remarkably preserved their original appearance.

One of the main parts of the ensemble is the Church of the Holy Savior, as well as a valuable shrine of the Jesuits. The most significant details in the church are considered to be the painting “four parts of the world” and the central altar. The interior is very beautifully decorated with sculptures and decorative elements. All members of the Jesuit order were buried in the church crypt.

The Cathedral of St. Clement was designed by the architects Luargo and Kanka. It has a strict façade, but the interior design is very beautiful. Paintings depicting scenes from the life of Clementius, painted by Gibel, divide the ceiling into four parts, the central altar is made of marble. The carved elements of Brown, the paintings of Brundle and others look very beautiful. The iconostasis was changed at the end of the twentieth century, ten pillars are considered a symbol of the apostles with the royal doors, the New and Old Testaments. But it doesn’t look very nice against the background of the overall interior. Now the church is considered an active Greek Catholic Church.

The most beautiful library in Prague today

Nowadays, the Clementinum complex houses the world-famous National Library, which at the beginning of the twentieth century underwent significant reconstruction; the most valuable books and manuscripts are stored here.

If you have a desire, then climb the Astronomical Tower, it is 68 meters high, when you climb to the very top, you will be able to look at the delightful old Prague from above. There is an elevator inside the tower that will take you to the height of the third floor. To get to the observation deck, you need to climb 87 very winding steps. But when you do it, you won't regret it.

At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the Hall of Mirrors was built, it was created by the famous Prague architect, German by birth, Kilian Ignaz Dientzenhofer. The Hall of Mirrors was so named because mirrors were built into the stucco moldings and walls.

It is noteworthy that this hall houses two organ instruments, an amazing phenomenon - the acoustic sounds are simply amazing. And these organs can play at the same time.

And it is clear that such acoustics should be used; concert programs are held in this hall, where classical music is played, and wedding celebrations are also celebrated here (this hall can accommodate up to 150 people).

In order to visit the mirror chapel, you must register in advance.

The Meridian Room was named after the Prague meridian, which is shown as a stretched arrow on the floor. There is a small hole in the wall and the sun's rays, falling through it, cross the arrow at astronomical noon. Today in this room you can look at the exhibition of astronomical instruments of past centuries.

Address on the map

The Clementinum in Prague has several entrances:

The first entrance is located at the following address: Karlova 1, Prague

The second entrance is located at the following address: Mariánské nám. 5, Prague

The third entrance is located at the following address: Křižovnická 190, Prague - you cannot temporarily enter through this entrance.

How to get there

You can get to Clementinum by taking bus number 194, which stops at the Mariánské náměstí stop. Also nearby is the Staroměstská station (green line A) and a tram stop, where trams numbers 1, 2, 17, 18, 25 and 93 go; you need to go to the Clementinum stop.

Opening hours

Clementinum was closed in January 2017 for reconstruction, presumably for two years. Only the Mirror Hall is open to the public, where concert programs are held.

• January-March: from 10:00 to 16:00;
• April-October: from 10:00 to 20:00;
• November-December: from 10:00 to 18:00.

From 10:00 every half hour there are guided tours (in Czech and English, there are also booklets in Russian) accompanied by a guide. The duration of the entire excursion is 45 minutes.

Cost of visit

In order to visit the Clementinum, you must pay the entrance fee:

• A full price ticket will cost 220 CZK;
• For a family consisting of one or two adults and up to three children, the entrance ticket costs 500 CZK;
• For children aged eight to eighteen years old, admission costs 140 CZK;
• Entrance to the Clementinum is free for students and disabled people;
• For children under seven years of age admission is free.

Official site

All necessary information is provided on the Clementinum website.

On its own, the Clementinum should become a must-see in terms of sightseeing. Of course, this place is not included in excursions in Prague in Russian, but even with Russian-language booklets in your hands, you will be greatly impressed by what you see. To begin with, you can familiarize yourself with Clementinum in absentia.

Pearl of Prague

Charles Bridge, Tyn Palace - all these wonderful architectural monuments are undoubtedly associated with the amazingly beautiful capital of the Czech Republic. But no description of the sights of Prague would be complete without a unique architectural complex, a wonderful example of the magnificent Baroque style, proudly located in the center of the historical city, not far from the Charles Bridge. We are talking about the Clementinum, the famous temple of science and art, created several centuries ago by the mysterious Jesuits.

Stronghold of the Jesuits

In the middle of the 16th century, representatives of the famous Jesuit order appeared in Prague, with the light hand of Ferdinand I, who were supposed to assist him in the confrontation with the Reformation. Their home was the former Dominican monastery of St. Clement, built in the 11th century near the Charles Bridge in Old Town. It was here that members of the fraternity founded a Jesuit college, which became one of the largest of its kind.

The Jesuits, who strove for the widespread dissemination of the Catholic faith, rapidly grew rich and increased their power. They transformed the small monastery into a grandiose complex of baroque buildings, unsurpassed in its beauty and grandeur. The construction boom continued from 1622 until the middle of the 18th century. Clementinum flourished along with the Jesuit order.

In 1622, Clementinum and Charles University, considered one of the most important educational institutions in the Czech Republic, were reunited by the Jesuits. Together there were colossal libraries, for which a separate building was built.

Since 1654, the newly-founded university was called Carlo-Ferdinand University, until in the 19th century it was divided into Czech and German.

What is included in the Prague Clementinum complex?

The Clementinum in Prague has been modified many times. More and more halls and churches were added, and magnificent gardens were laid out. But this complex has survived to this day in excellent condition and is now an interesting example of late Baroque, second in scale after another grandiose historical complex - Prague Castle.

Lovers of history, architecture and painting simply need to visit the following places:

• Mirror chapel.
• University library.
• Astronomical tower.
• Church of Christ the Savior.
• Mathematical Museum.
• Meridian room.

Due to the fact that there are very few excursions in Russian in Prague, each tourist is given a booklet in his native language. And even in these circumstances, the beauty, wealth and elegance of the ancient premises will not be diminished in the least.

Chapel in honor of the Virgin Mary

The Mirror Chapel, erected in 1724, is an amazing combination of an ancient religious symbol and a magnificent concert hall.

The chapel received its name for the decoration of its interior. The walls of the architectural masterpiece are lined with floor-to-ceiling mirrors, and the hemispherical ceiling molding also contains mirror elements that reflect the stars of the magnificent marble floor. All this creates an incomparable feeling of infinity and lightness of space.

The beautiful frescoes on the ceiling are dedicated to biblical events associated with the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. Previously, in the depths of the chapel there was a rich altar, which currently replaces the organ from the ancient work of the late 18th century. The chapel has another organ, located closer to the entrance. The age of this extraordinary musical instrument is even more respectable, because it was created by masters at the end of the eighteenth century. It is also famous for the fact that it remembers the great Mozart, who played this instrument during his stay in Prague.

Thanks to its unsurpassed acoustic properties, the chapel has become a venue for classical music concerts. The uniqueness of the chapel also lies in the fact that the two organs in it can sound absolutely in unison, which is rare for such instruments.

Temple of Science and Art

The reorganized Jesuit library, now the National Library of the Czech Republic, is a place that simply cannot be ignored when talking about the Clementinum of Prague.

The building of this unique library, a pearl, was erected in 1727. Currently, the library's collection includes hundreds of thousands of priceless books, including handwritten ones. Bookshelves from floor to ceiling are literally bursting with an abundance of valuable volumes, most of which are written in Latin, German and Italian.

The ceiling of the hall is decorated with skillfully executed frescoes symbolizing Science and Art. In the very center of the ceiling is the famous fresco "Temple of Wisdom" by Joseph Dibel.

The book hall is also notable for its collection of ancient rare globes, geographic and star maps created by the Jesuits. Unfortunately, it is not possible to examine them in detail due to limited access to the hall.

Of course, the rarest volumes are available only to specialists, and only with individual permission, but the Clementinum in Prague is also equipped with a reading room that immerses its visitors in the unforgettable atmosphere of the 18th century Baroque.

Visegrad Code

And although you won’t be able to look through a copy of an ancient book in the library’s book room, you shouldn’t be upset. In the small foyer, preceding the hall with books, an exact copy of the rarest 11th-century manuscript - the Visegrad Codex - is exhibited especially for lovers of antiquity.

The Visegrad Code (also called the Coronation Code), created in 1086, is dedicated to the enthronement of the first Czech king, Vratislav II. One of the rarest and most valuable manuscripts in the Czech Republic is a collection of gospels and theological texts. The significance of this manuscript is so great that it was insured for 1 billion crowns.

The Clementinum in Prague is simply a treasure trove of historical rarities that are found everywhere here. So, next to the Visegrad Codex, in the library foyer you can see the astronomical instrument of the famous Kepler - the sextant, which helped the scientist in his scientific research.

Astronomy tower

If you are still looking for something to see in Prague on your own, then without a doubt, head to the Clementinum Astronomical Tower.

The tower was erected in 1723 by order of Chancellor Frantisek Retz. At the top of its dome there is a figure of Atlas with a celestial sphere in his hands. From the middle of the 18th century, it acquired the status of an observatory and became a center for astronomical, meteorological and mathematical research. There is a most interesting exhibition of telescopes, mathematical and astronomical instruments. One of the attractions of the Clementinum of Prague and the Astronomical Tower is the ancient hourglass, which is still perfectly accurate.

In 1928, astronomical research began to be carried out in the new observatory, and since 1939, only meteorological observations relevant to modern Central Europe have been recorded in the tower.

The observation deck of the tower, located at an altitude of 50 m, is a real find for visitors. Climbing here along a narrow spiral staircase, you can contemplate a beautiful view of the historical center of Prague, located in full view.

Unfortunately, in the last decades of the last century, the Astronomical Tower was closed to tourists. Only in 2000, the architectural monument of the 18th century, which has come down to us in its original form, was cleared of rubbish and rodents and made available to the public again.

Meridian room

In the Old Town Square, near the monument to Jan Hus, there is a paved line that differs from the paving of the rest of the square. This is the Prague meridian. The fact is that at astronomical noon, the shadow of a column located not far from this line falls exactly on it. This was the warning to the townspeople that noon had arrived.

A room in one of the towers of the Clementinum is named after this meridian. Only its prototype here is a string stretched across the entire room. As soon as noon comes, a ray of sunlight, peeking through a tiny hole in the wall, crosses this string. This served as a signal to alert the townspeople that noon had arrived. Until 1918, this honorable mission was carried out by a tower cannon by firing a shot, and later a sign was simply given from the tower by waving a flag.

Church of the Holy Savior

During the heyday of the Jesuit Order, this most valuable monument of early Baroque architecture was considered the main temple of the Order. It was built on the site of a former Dominican monastery.

What kind of trials did the church have to endure! During the Hussite uprising, it was burned to the ground, and then restored by the rich Jesuits. The greatest architects and artists took part in its long construction and decoration: Carlo Lurago, Francesco Caratti, Giovanni Bartolomeo Cometa and many others.

Before entering the church, tourists are greeted by an artistic colonnade, painted by the unsurpassed Giovanni Cometa, and from the portico, skillful sculptures of the church fathers, saints of the Jesuit order, Christ and the Virgin Mary are greeted. The artistic plasterwork and confessionals decorated with statues of the 12 apostles amaze with their elegance and beauty.

Excellent organ concerts are also held here, which are appreciated not only among local residents, but also among numerous tourists.

Curious facts

It's interesting to know that:

• Several centuries ago, a Jesuit named Conias burned 30,000 volumes of books considered “heretical” in the local library.
• According to legend, the Jesuits arrived in the city with a single book and only then collected a huge library collection.
• In 2005, the Clementinum Library received a special UNESCO Memory of the World prize.
• A small portion of the ancient manuscripts was provided to Google to be scanned and made publicly available on Google Books.
• Since January 2017, the Clementinum has been closed for 2 years for large-scale restoration.

Having visited the beautiful Czech city of Prague, we naturally could not ignore such a historical landmark as the Klementinum. And we were attracted to Clementinum, first of all, by one of the most beautiful libraries in the world.

While still sitting at home and preparing for the trip, we looked at photographs of this baroque library hall, admired it, and we so wanted to see with our own eyes the most beautiful library in the world.

In this article we will talk about the Clementinum, our tour of the majestic structure, its library hall, the meridian hall and the Astronomical Tower. We will also share with you photographs, some of which were taken furtively, since taking pictures is prohibited in some halls of the Clementinum.

So,

Clementinum

The Clementinum is a large complex of Baroque buildings, most of which were built by the order of Jesuit monks who appeared in the Czech Republic in 1556, and had a Dominican monastic order located in this complex.

Initially, the Clementinum housed a Jesuit college and university. Over the years of its existence, the complex was built and expanded by many famous architects, artists and sculptors, until it acquired its current appearance in the late Baroque style.

The complex was destroyed to such an extent that currently the Clementinum is the second largest historical complex in Prague, after. We also visited Prague Castle, and it is very difficult to say unequivocally which of the complexes we liked better. They are so different and each is beautiful in its own way, so we advise every tourist who decides to visit Prague to visit the two largest historical complexes in Prague.

Clementinum is located in Prague's Stare Mesto quarter, at. One of the most beautiful buildings of the Clementinum - the Jesuit Church of the Savior - the Church of St. Salvator / Kostel Nejsvetejsiho Salvatora, the facade faces directly onto the square near Charles Bridge.

The Clementinum complex includes several churches and churches, the most beautiful of which, in our opinion, are the Church of St. Salvator itself and the Catholic Church of the Virgin Mary/Nanebevzeti Panny Marie, which is located on Karlova Street.

Along the same Karlova Street, you can get to the courtyards of the Clementinum, and from there go on an excursion to see the library and climb the astronomical tower, which offers magical views of the old town of Prague.

In addition to the main attractions, today the Clementinume buildings house a large number of offices and reading rooms, entry to which is strictly by permits and library/student cards. But this, naturally, was of little interest to us.

Having entered the courtyards of the Clementinum, we walked briskly straight towards our main goal - the astronomical tower. This is where the baroque library hall is located.

We approach the astronomy tower. The building is very large, so it was not possible to take a good photo among the narrow streets and courtyards of the Clementinum.

Here, below, at the entrance to the tower, there is a ticket office. You can get to the library only with a guided tour, which takes place every half hour, starting at 10:00.

Near the entrance and ticket office

A ticket for the excursion costs 220 CZK for adults and 140 CZK for students and children. At least that's what was written on the stand at the checkout.

220 CZK per person, a little expensive for us. But we have already gotten used to “surviving” in Prague. Since in Prague entrance is paid everywhere, even to churches and temples, when we approached the ticket office we were told that we had two student tickets. Almost nowhere were they required to show student ID cards, so it was a breeze. In any case, it's worth a try. We did the same here, we came up and said two student tickets, for some reason they only charged us 240 crowns for two tickets. Well, okay, ours are better.

Our tour started in 10 minutes. Together with us, there were about 10 more people who wanted to go on the excursion, among whom more than 50%, as it turned out, were Russian-speaking tourists. The excursion was held in English, so naturally, with our poor knowledge of English, we did not understand everything, but the main essence was clear.

The Clementinum tour begins

Entering the hall, we see an exhibition copy. We still don’t understand what it is)) But outwardly it resembles the mechanism of some kind of watch or something similar.

The pride of the hall "Visegrad Code", representing the cathedral collection of gospels and religious texts. The codex is written in Latin and is considered the most famous and valuable manuscript in the Czech Republic. The Visegrad Code was presumably compiled on the occasion of the coronation of the first Czech king, Vratislav II, in 1085 at Prague Castle, where it was presented to the king. Just imagine the historical value of this huge book, and the codex is indeed of considerable size.

In the foyer we see a beautiful door. This door leads to the hall of one of the most beautiful libraries in the world - the Baroque library hall/library of the Clementinum. This room is part of the National Library.

The guide opens the door and appears before us hall of one of the most beautiful libraries in the world. It is prohibited to take pictures in the hall; a guide and a camera on the ceiling are watching over this. We filmed secretly, hand-in-hand, on a phone, so there’s no point in talking about the quality of the pictures.

In the photo on the Internet, the hall looked quite impressive, but in reality it turned out to be not that big and rather narrow, but this in no way detracts from its wonderful atmosphere. The hall smells of old books and is dim.

You cannot enter the library hall itself or walk around it. You can only stand and look around the hall by the fence outside the door. As they explained to us, entry into the hall is prohibited to everyone except researchers and students with special passes. The fact is that the books collected in this room are very old and require special careful care. In total, the hall contains about 20,000 volumes of books, all of them are placed on tall shelves from floor to ceiling on both sides of the hall.

On the ceiling of the book room you can see an amazing fresco, which is divided into three parts. The first part of the fresco depicts Apollo seated on Mount Parnassus. In the middle part are the imaginary domes of the temple of wisdom. The third, climactic part of the fresco, the one closer to the entrance, depicts an angel with a torch of knowledge, hovering over Christ and calling “IPSUM AUDITE” (which translates as “Obey Him, listen to Him!”).

In the main part of the library hall there is a portrait of Emperor Joseph II, probably from 1783. And in the middle of the hall you can see several globes on display. These globes are of two types - geographical and astronomical. The largest and most famous, as well as the most beautiful globe, is the one located at the entrance. In addition, it depicts constellations. It's a shame that all these delights are not visible in the photographs. Yes, even if it were visible, photographs would still not convey what you experience and see when you are there.

We leave the baroque book hall and again move up the spiral staircase. Yes, by the way, you can take the elevator rather than take the stairs, but we didn’t use the elevator, the stairs are more interesting))

Rising higher, we find ourselves in Meridian Hall of the Clementinum

The name of the hall comes from the phrase “Prague Meridian”. There is twilight in this room.

The string, protected by a wooden cabinet, is on the floor. There is a small hole in the left wall, a camera obscura (from the Latin word camera obscura, which translates as dark room). Through this hole in the wall, sunlight enters the room. This beam gradually moves around the hall, and at the moment when it turns out to be cut by the meridian string, which on the floor, strictly in half, means that noon has come.

In past centuries, for a long time, this was the only way a signal was sent from the Clementinum indicating the onset of noon. Since 1842, the signal has been given using flags. The signal given in the form of a flag was most often followed by a cannon shot from the Bastion of St. Magdalene. Thus, the noon signal was given until 1928. The job of watching the beam at that time was responsible and required special attention and perseverance. This made her considered respected, because this was the only way many townspeople could know for sure whether it was noon.

In addition, the Meridian Hall contains two original wall quadrants, believed to be the work of Jan Klein. A quadrant is a device that was used to determine the zenith distances of luminaries.

Behind the meridian hall we go up the wooden stairs

And we find ourselves in a dark round room, at the very top Astronomical Tower of Clementinum. The Astronomy Tower was built in 1722. Its height from the very base to the observation deck is 52 meters. And the total height of the tower is 68 meters. When climbing to this very top, we climbed a total of 172 steps. At the very top of the tower is decorated with a sculpture of Atlas carrying the celestial sphere.

There are also several exhibits in this room.

The guide opens the doors and we find ourselves on observation deck of the Astronomical Tower. The bird's eye views of Prague are simply magical, red tiled roofs and narrow streets of old Prague are everywhere. We plunge into these views headlong, walk around the site and look, look...

The complex and courtyards of the Clementinum are clearly visible from above.

A couple of panoramic shots from the observation deck of the Astronomical Tower in the Clementinum

With this our excursion came to an end, we went down. The entire excursion takes 30 minutes, but our group was delayed for 45. Having gone down, another group was already eagerly awaiting our exit, ready to go on the excursion.

Cheap flights →

If we take into account the pace of technological progress, which is gaining momentum every year, we can say that the ultra-modern Czech National Technical Library was opened quite a long time ago - on September 9, 2009 (09.09.09). Nevertheless, its building remains one of the outstanding examples of modern architecture, and its constantly growing collections remain one of the largest collections of technical literature in Europe.

The idea of ​​collecting all the technical literature of Prague in one place arose in the late 90s of the last century. In 2000, a competition of architectural projects was announced and the winner was determined. However, the construction of the National Technical Library was greatly complicated by the financial situation in the country, and the flood of 2002 played an important role here. As a result, construction was completed only in 2008.

Outside and inside

Glass and concrete were chosen as the main materials for the exterior and interior design of this ultra-modern building. The streamlined shapes of the building's facade are finished with glass, and inside there are structures made of unpainted concrete, which are an element of the interior design.

The surfaces of the gray concrete walls are covered with monochrome author's cartoon graffiti, and this ascetic artistic solution of architectural verticals contrasts sharply with the main internal horizontal of the building - the floor of the central atrium, which is visible from above from all nine floors of the library. It is decorated with bright colors, and when you look at it from above, you get the illusion of distributing the load over the surface area. That is, architectural objects installed on the floor are surrounded by dark red spots, and the free floor area is painted green.

The roof of the building is decorated with living plants, but visitors are not allowed to go onto it for a number of reasons. Those wishing to get some fresh air can do so on the open-top glass veranda.

The three underground levels of the library contain car and bicycle parking, and also store part of the book collection, the total value of which is one and a half million items.

How it works

One of the distinctive features of the Czech National Technical Library is that the building is practically unstaffed. Entrance to the building is carried out using plastic library cards, any Czech or international student card, or even an electronic travel card. Any card with a personalized chip gives you the right to use the library.

Using the electronic catalogs installed on each floor, you can easily find the book you need and get information about which of the shelves you should look for it on. Staff services will only be needed if the reader requires an unpopular book located in an underground storage facility. In this case, you need to place an order in advance - but this can be done the day before via the Internet.

The library's reading rooms are equipped with comfortable workspaces, with sockets for connecting a laptop. There are several “individual” rooms designed for a small number of readers. These include rooms for the visually impaired and rooms for people with disabilities. There is even one 24-hour hall, open at night. You can enter it directly from the street using your student ID.

The delivery of literature to collections is also automated - book receptacles are installed on each floor.

Immediately after its opening, the library was recognized as the best modern architectural project in the Czech Republic and even became an object of tourist interest - to this day excursions are held in the building.