Strahov Monastery

One of the many interesting sights in the Prague Castle/ Hradcany area is the Strahov Monastery, which has existed in some form since its founding in 1140 by the Premonstratensian order of the Catholic Church. However, in 1258 the original building was destroyed by fire, but within approximately ten years it had been rebuilt, this time in Gothic style. Over time, Strahov Monastery received more Baroque additions. The Church of Our Lady, for example, is built in a highly decorative Baroque style, though it retains its 12th century basilica ground plan.

A vital part of the monastery is the 800-year-old library, founded in 1142 by Prince Vladislav II, which remains one of the finest libraries in Bohemia despite centuries of invasions, religious wars, and fires. Thanks to the library, the Strahov Monastery escaped Joseph II’s dissolution of monasteries in 1783. Its inhabitants changed the library into a research institute, thus allowing the institution to remain. When the Communists took over, the Strahov Monastery once again evaded obliteration because of its historical significance, though the buildings were nationalized in 1948. Since 1990, several Premonstratensian monks have returned to reclaim it.

The Strahov Library is open to the public from 9 am until noon, and again from 1 pm until 5 pm on a daily basis, and admission is 80 Czech crowns. Within the beautifully painted Philosophical and Theological Halls alone there are 130,000 volumes of books (another 700,000 are in storage.) However, since this is the most important Bohemian collection of books, visitors are asked to observe these artifacts through glass doors to ensure preservation for future generations. And if religious texts aren’t your main interest, it’s no problem. Because the monastery once double-served as religious institute and educational research facility, there are copies of interesting “medicinal” books on bloodletting, and a collection of 200-year-old deep-sea creatures which is particularly impressive for a landlocked country.