Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hrad.In1773,notlongafter the Klementinum wasfinally completed, the Jesuits were turfed
out of the country and the building donated to the university.
The Klementinum currently houses the
Národní knihovna
(National Library) and its
millions of books, including the world's largest collection of works by the early English
reformer, Yorkshireman John Wycliffe, whose writings had an enormous impact on the
fourteenth-century Czech religious community, inspiring preachers such as Hus to speak out
against the social conditions of the time. There's a side entrance beside the church of sv
Salvátor, but the
main entrance
is inconspicuously placed just beyond the church of sv Kli-
ment: both of them let you into a series of plain but tranquil courtyards. Here and there, sec-
tions of the original building have been left intact; the most ornate parts are now open to the
public.
Nearby is the visitors' entrance, where you must sign up for a
guided tour
in order to see
inside. On the ground floor is the
Zrcadlová kaple
(Mirrored Chapel), which with its fake
marble, gilded stucco and mirror panels boasts fine acoustics and is often used for concerts.
Upstairs, in the
Barokní sál
(Baroque Library), a long room lined with leather tomes, note
the ceiling, decorated with one continuous illusionistic fresco praising secular wisdom, and
thewrought-irongallerybalustradeheldupbywoodenbarley-sugarcolumns.Roughlyatthe
centre of the Klementinum complex is the Jesuits'
Astronomickávěž
(Astonomical Tower),
from which you can enjoy a fantastic view over the city centre.
A TOWERING RECORD
As any Prague resident will proudly tell you, the
Astronomical Tower
within the Kle-
mentinum complex is the only place in the world that has been monitoring and recording
meteorological data since 1775. What they may not know is that until 1928 the tower was
also used to tell the citizens of Prague when it was noon: a man would wave a flag from
the tower and a cannon would be fired from Petřín Hill.
Mariánské náměstí and around
Opposite the southeastern corner of the Klementinum, the Renaissance corner house
U zlaté
studné
(The Golden Well) stands out like a wedge of cheese; its thick stucco reliefs of assor-
ted saints were commissioned in 1701 by the owner in gratitude for having been spared the
plague. A short diversion here, down Seminářská, brings you out onto
Mariánské náměstí
,
generally fairly deserted compared with heaving Karlova.
Nová radnice (New Town Hall)
Mariánské náměstí 2 • Metro Staroměstská
