Exhibitions - March 2015

Reconstruction of the Klementinum between World Wars
March 18 - May 7, 2015

Opening ceremony - Photogallery

The exhibition presents a significant period of building conversion and adaptation of the Klementinum into a functional area fully meeting the then needs of research libraries based there and their users. When a visitor walks through the Klementinum area he can´t help but notice its architectural diversity. It took nearly 170 years before this extensive complex of buildings was completed. Between 1560 and 1726, the Jesuit Order built the Klementinum premises in the extent we know it today. Its further construction development during the next two centuries did not bring anything new, except for some minor interventions.

Major changes came as late as after the establishment of the independent Czechoslovak state. Between 1924 and 1951, a significant adaptation of the Klementinum area was made to suit the needs of research libraries. It author was architect Ladislav Machoň.  Results of the reconstruction in the course of time were documented among others by the photographic studio of Jaroslav Bruner-Dvořák.

Photographs preserved in the collection of photography historian Pavel Scheufler allow an insight into the Klementinum premises labyrinth, while rich materials from the National Library Archive provide information about different adaptation stages and construction solutions designed by architect Ladislav Machoň.

The display features three planes of the reconstruction, genius loci of the Klementinum, space and its adaptation by the architect, and the eye of the photographer, who documented the changes, all of them making an interesting view of recent history of the complex that is one of the most characteristic parts of Baroque Prague. It is especially interesting at present, when further adaptations are made as part of the ongoing revitalization of the whole Klementinum area.

The Klementinum Gallery – Exhibition Hall (entrance from the Mariánské Square, Gate B2)
Tue - Sun: 10.30 am – 6 pm
Special entrance fee: adults 50 Kč, senior citizens and students 40 Kč; group of 10 + persons 40 Kč/person; children 6-15 years 20 Kč, children under 6 years free; school teacher free with a group of students.

e-NK ČR or Welcome to the Electronic World of the National Library of the Czech Republic
April 1 - May 23, 2015

Do you know that many sources and services of the National Library of the Czech Republic are available online, even outside the library premises, as 24/7 service? Through these sources you can find foreign articles and e-books, browse current newspapers, or to the contrary, centuries-old manuscripts, or newspapers that could read our grandfathers. Online is also possible to listen to high-quality recordings, to order digitization of a book or to request an article from abroad.
Come and visit the display to get acquainted with our sources and services that maybe you even do not know or have not used yet. We invite you to take the opportunity to compete for small prizes during the exhibition.

Exhibition corridor, ground floor, Monday to Saturday:  9 am – 7 pm
Entrance free