Clementinum, Baroque complex in Old Town, Czech Republic
The Clementinum is a large Baroque building complex in Prague's Old Town that spans across several interconnected structures. It contains an ornate library with ceiling frescoes, several chapels, lecture halls, and a tall tower with an observatory platform.
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 an early chapel dedicated to Saint Clement that once occupied this ground. Today, visitors experience the ornate Baroque library with its painted ceilings and astronomical globes as a working center of learning and cultural discovery.
Visitors should plan for a substantial tour since the complex is large with many areas to explore, so allowing adequate time is important. Wear comfortable shoes with good support, as there are numerous stairs throughout, especially to reach the tower's observation platform.
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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