Grandiose Baroque Library in Prague Is a Stunning Kingdom for Books | via
Prague’s Klementinum library was opened in 1722 and has easily become one of the most beautiful libraries in the world. Aside from housing over 20,000 novels for your reading pleasure, this location showcases absolutely stunning Baroque architecture. As you’re perusing various timeworn bookshelves, you can take a moment to look up and see Jan Hiebl’s heavenly, Renaissance-style ceiling paintings. Amongst his work, there are symbolic designs that represent the importance of education, along with fantastic portraits of Jesuit saints.
Hiebl’s paintings actually pay homage to the fact that the library was originally a Jesuit university. Many of the school’s rare, 17th-century books are still amongst its collection today. That would explain why Emperor Joseph II’s portrait is displayed at the head of the hall, since he was the one who arranged for abolished monastic libraries to send their books to Klementinum. Now, Google has several of these volumes in their possession because they’re scanning them for Google Books.
In 1777, Maria Theresa declared Klementinum to be a public and university library. This allowed the Prague community to witness this local treasure in person, to marvel at the globes that line the center of the library, and to study Jan Klein’s intricate astronomical clocks.
Photography: Klementinum, Olivier Martel Savoie
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