Velká aula Karolina, Assembly hall in Old Town, Czech Republic
Velká aula Karolina is an assembly hall in the Old Town featuring Gothic architecture with a large bay window and a university chapel inside. The space contains an altar decorated with a Gothic painting of the Virgin Mary and serves as the venue for major ceremonial events.
The building became the home of Charles University in 1386 when King Václav IV transferred the property, forming the foundation of Karolinum. This site developed into a central place for academic gatherings over subsequent centuries.
A tapestry on the front wall shows Charles IV presenting the university's founding charter to Saint Wenceslas, created by M. Teinitzerová in 1948. This work tells the story of the institution through imagery and shapes how visitors experience the room.
The hall accommodates around 405 seated visitors and about 30 standing guests and hosts academic ceremonies such as graduations and lectures. Access should be confirmed beforehand since this is an active university facility.
The organs came from a dissolved Jesuit college in Chomutov and were installed in the mid-20th century. These historical instruments give the hall distinctive acoustics that visitors can experience during events.
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