The Strahov Monastery was founded in 1143 and its library is the reason to visit: two barrel-vaulted halls — the Theological Hall (1679) and the Philosophical Hall (1794) — with original frescos on the ceilings, floor-to-ceiling shelves of rare manuscripts, and the particular atmosphere of a room built to hold knowledge and still doing so. The Theological Hall is the more intimate of the two; the Philosophical Hall is grander, with a painted ceiling by Franz Anton Maulbertsch that is one of the finest Baroque interiors in Central Europe. Visitors view the library rooms from the doorways rather than entering — which is correct. The rooms are preserved rather than performed.
Hradčany, Prague, Czech Republic