National Library of the Czech Republic

The National Library of the Czech Republic, located at the Klementinum, the former Jesuit college, offers an exceptional range of Czech and international books to borrow and study and features long opening hours. The services of this library are sure to be appreciated by every researcher or student but might also be of help to anyone looking for a book missing in the catalogues of regular libraries.

The Klementinum building was created by rebuilding the former Dominican monastery in the mid 16th century. The Jesuits were seated at the Klementinum until the 1770s when the former college library was turned into a public University Library. Ever since 1781 all the Prague printers have been obligated to donate to this library a single print of each published book. Since 1807 this obligation has been generalized to all Czech printers. This is why the National Library’s book catalogue has a truly unique level of completeness when it comes to books published in the Czech lands.

Since the National Library owns many historical and otherwise valuable books, the system of borrowing in the National Library is slightly different from regular libraries. The majority of the books cannot be borrowed to take out of the library, some can only be read in one of the on-site study rooms, and some can be borrowed only in under a special protective system. Apart from the huge selection of books, Klementinum offers a wide array of periodicals, sheet music, and other documents. The Klementinum complex also features regular exhibitions, concerts, lectures, discussion meetings and other cultural events. The whole complex can be visited by means of a guided excursion. Visit the National Library and take a look into the rich history and culture of the Czech Republic by means of its literature.

In the neighborhood

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