Clementinum, Baroque complex in Old Town, Czech Republic
The Clementinum is a Baroque building complex near Charles Bridge in Prague's Old Town, covering 20,000 square metres and second in size in the city only to Prague Castle. Its cream and ochre facades, red tiled roofs and dormer windows line Křižovnická street; a gabled bay holds statues in niches, a round window and a flagpole above a column-supported balcony.
The site began as an 11th-century chapel before Dominicans took it over, and Jesuits arrived in 1556 to reshape it into an educational center. The complex expanded over subsequent centuries and eventually became home to the National Library and a key academic institution.
The name comes from the Romanesque church of St Clement, first mentioned in 1227, when Dominicans settled here. Since 2023 Prague City Tourism has run a Baroque route through the Baroque library and the Astronomical Tower. The library hall's ceiling artwork by Jan Hiebl depicts medieval knowledge.
The complex covers 20,000 square metres, so pick which parts to see before setting out; the Baroque library and Astronomical Tower are shown on the guided baroque route run since 2023 by Prague City Tourism. The entrance on Křižovnická street is marked by a balcony on columns beneath a gabled bay with statues in niches.
The tower houses one of Europe's oldest continuous weather stations, recording daily measurements since 1775. This unbroken data series allows researchers to track climate patterns across more than two centuries.
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