Clementinum

[1] The Municipal library is located in the adjacent building on Mariánské Náměstí, where you'll find the famous Idiom installation (known as the book tower) in the foyer.

A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was strongly damaged in 1420 during the hussite wars and later transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college.

The Jesuits remained until their suppression in 1773, when the Clementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.

[2][3][4] This industrial exhibition was held to celebrate the coronation of Leopold II as king of Bohemia, and served to highlight the sophistication of manufacturing in Czech lands during that period.

The architect who won the competition was Jan Kaplický, but the decision was overruled, so the Czech National Library is still waiting for its final project.