Prague · Hradčany · Czech Republic

Strahov Library

culturehistoricgoogle verified

easy

6/10

best: morning, afternoon

contemplative, mysterious

A local would say...

Two baroque library halls filled floor-to-ceiling with antique leather-bound books, and ceiling frescoes painted by monks — a library so beautiful it's been operating continuously since the 12th century.

The largest monastic library in the Czech Republic, Strahov Library contains two magnificent Baroque halls — the Theological Hall (17th century) and the Philosophical Hall (18th century) — whose ceiling frescoes and floor-to-ceiling shelves of antique leather-bound volumes create one of the most extraordinary interiors in Central Europe. The library is still run by Premonstratensian monks who have occupied the monastery since 1143.