The Clementinum Baroque Library (Barokní knihovna Klementina)

The Jesuits, invited to the Czech lands to spread the Catholic faith, began the construction of the Clementinum as a central educational project in 1556. The construction of the entire complex took more than 170 years. From the beginning of its existence, the Jesuit College also built its own library. In 1622, Charles University came under the administration of the Clementinum and with it the library collection as well. 100 years later, the growing library collection found a worthy place in the richly decorated rooms, which were completed in 1727, probably according to the plans of the important Baroque architect Kilian Ignaz Dietzenhofer. It is one of the oldest hall gallery systems in Bohemia, which has been preserved in its original form to this day, and is a typical example of the Baroque library layout of the time. The hall is 41 metres long and 12 metres wide, decorated with frescoes by John Hiebel on the theme of science and art, with medallions of important Jesuits on the sides and a painting of Joseph II at the head of the library. The illusory painting of the dome symbolises the Temple of Wisdom from Greek mythology. The hall is unique for its original form and has not been damaged, altered or rebuilt in any way. 

The books are stored on oak shelves; on the ground floor there are mainly foreign-language theological works, and in the gallery there are general scientific writings. There are also books on philosophy, rhetoric, linguistics and natural sciences.

After the abolition of the Order in 1773, the Jesuits had to leave the Clementinum, but the university and the library remained in the college. Four years later, in an effort to preserve the valuable Clementinum collections, Franz Josef Kinský suggested to to the Queen of Bohemia Maria Theresa that the Jesuit libraries be removed from the Czech lands and combined with the university collections in Clementinum. With the addition of Kinský's personal library, a public  University library under state administration was established.

In 1781, Karel Raphael Ungar founded the National Library (Bibliotheca nationalis) and reserved a place of honour at the head of the Baroque library for the Bohemian books, i.e. books that were Czech in language, origin or content. The Clementinum University Library was the first in the Habsburg Monarchy to receive the right to free compulsory copies from Prague printers and publishers.