Strahov Monastery

A Premonstratensian monastery on the hill above Prague Castle, famous for two of the most beautiful historic library halls in Europe.

Strahov was founded in 1143 by King Vladislav II and has been home to Premonstratensian canons for most of the centuries since, apart from the communist years, when the order was expelled. Its Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary has a rich Baroque interior, and Mozart is said to have played its organ during a visit to Prague.

The Strahov Library holds the Theological Hall, with its stucco-framed ceiling paintings from the seventeenth century, and the taller Philosophical Hall from the late eighteenth century, with walnut shelves rising two storeys to a vast painted ceiling. Visitors see both halls from their doorways. The corridor between them contains a cabinet of curiosities with natural history specimens collected by the monks.

The monastery also has a picture gallery and its own brewery with a restaurant in the courtyard. From the orchards below, a path leads down Petřín with wide views over the city. It combines naturally with the Loreto and Prague Castle; take tram 22 to the Pohořelec stop.