Founded in 1140 by Prince Vladislav II, Strahov is the second oldest monastery in Prague. The main reason to visit is to admire its enchanting library which is divided into two halls and includes many rare, ancient and medieval tombs.

The first library is the Philosophers’ Hall, which dates back to 1794 and is home to over 42,000 philosophical manuscripts including subjects ranging from medical and astronomical to geographical. This double story hall was designed by the Italian architect Jan Ignác Palliardi and is exquisitely decorated with a fresco on the ceiling by Franz Anton Maulbertsh. This masterpiece portrays the intellectual progress and wisdom of mankind. Interestingly the highest books in the library can only be reached from the upper gallery which is accessible from the spiral staircases in the corners of the room, which are concealed behind the fake spines of the books.

Connecting the two libraries you’ll discover an intriguing gallery featuring many cabinets of curiosities which were donated from the estate of Karel Jan Erben in 1798. Here you can see remarkable rarities such as anthropological specimens, minerals, insects, historical globes and books so old they have even started to grow fungi on them.

The library at the end of this gallery is the Baroque Theological Hall which is the older of the two halls, designed by the architect Giovanni Dominik Orsi between 1671 and 1679. The space contains approximately 18,000 religious texts concentrating on the subject of theology. If you look closely, you will see the wooden carved cartouches displaying pictures and inscriptions above the bookshelves which showcase what type of literature is stored on the racks below. Dating back to the 18th Century the beautiful ceiling is masterfully frescoed by Siard Nosecký and it showcases proverbs from the bible. Also, within the hall you can see the ‘compilation wheel’ which is the desk situated to the left which was used in the 17th century by scribes to compile texts.

I would also highly recommend making time to wander around the art gallery, which hosts hundreds of paintings and interesting artefacts, some of which are housed in a room of reliquaries. One of my favourite pieces is called ‘Vision of the Prophet Ezekiel’ and is thought to have originally served as an epitaph in one of the chapels of the cemetery at the Church of St. James in Jihlava. The painting depicts the biblical bringing of the bones back to life and is thought to have been painted by the Flemish master Quentin Metsys Jr in 1589. Other artworks to note are the beautiful still life compositions using dark colour palettes by Guiseppe Arcimboldo.

The complex is tucked away on the top of a hill offering magnificent views across the city as well as picturesque grounds which are perfect to wander around.