Klementinum

A vast Jesuit college in the heart of the Old Town, with one of the most beautiful Baroque libraries in the world.

The Jesuits arrived in Prague in 1556 and settled on the site of a former Dominican monastery by Charles Bridge. Over two centuries they built a complex of courtyards, churches and halls that became, after Prague Castle, the largest group of buildings in the city. Today it houses the National Library of the Czech Republic.

The highlight is the Baroque Library Hall, completed in the early eighteenth century, with painted ceilings, gilded carvings and rows of old theological books and globes. It can only be seen from the doorway, and only on a guided tour. The tour also climbs the Astronomical Tower, where weather observations have been recorded continuously since 1775, one of the longest such series in the world, and ends with a view over the rooftops of the Old Town.

The Mirror Chapel inside the complex hosts regular classical concerts; see music in Prague. The main entrance is from Karlova street and Mariánské náměstí, on the way between Old Town Square and Charles Bridge, so it fits easily into a walk through the Old Town.