Municipal Library of Prague — Central Library

The Large Hall of the Municipal Library of Prague is located in the basement. It can seat 386 people and is suitable for film screenings, lectures, dance and theatre performances, and concerts. In addition to the Large Hall, the Municipal Library also has the Small Hall, which seats 140 and is used for smaller film screenings and lectures.

history

This library, the oldest public library in Prague, followed on from the activities of federal libraries, while some outlying municipalities also had their own libraries. On 1 July 1891, a city council decree established the first public library in Prague as the Public General Library of the Royal City of Prague. Its collection initially consisted of over 3 000 books, and it was first located in the building of the former St Wenceslas Penitentiary in Na Zderaze ulice. The library then moved several times until it settled on the corner of Platnéřská ulice and Mariánské náměstí, where an Empire townhouse used to stand. The foundations of the modern library were laid by its then director, the poet Antonín Sova, who also founded the first six branches of the library. After 37 neighbouring municipalities were annexed to Prague in 1922, creating the conurbation known as Greater Prague, the libraries of these municipalities were merged into a single unit, thus establishing the City of Prague Central Library with a network of 40 branches, with more added over time. The library collection, then comprising around 260 000 volumes, grew rapidly. The existing building was not suitable for a large number of books. That problem was solved by the Pražská městská pojišťovna insurance company which, at a meeting of its supervisory board in 1923, decided to build a new separate building for the library and to donate it to the City of Prague to mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the independent Czechoslovakia. Five renowned architects participated in the competition to design the new library, which was won by the prominent Czech architect František Roith. Work on the extensive construction site, which measured over 60 m facing Mariánské náměstí and almost 70 m perpendicular to the square, began in 1925. The original building was also demolished, and there are now two underground lecture halls at its site. It was the first purpose-built library building in Czechoslovakia and one of the most modern in Europe. The architect designed the new building not only as a magnificent library with all the relevant services as required by the then director Dr Jan Thon, but also as a cultural institution with spaces to host lectures, concerts and exhibitions. The building was built by the companies of Václav Nekvasil and the Kavalír brothers. The library was officially opened to the public on 28 October 1928.

The distinctly traditional building fits in nicely between the early Baroque Klementinum and the Art Nouveau style of Prague’s New City Hall. The main façade of the building combines modern austerity with classical articulation. The corner parts with their arcade project out onto the pavement, while in the centre there is a monumental entrance with a balcony balustrade. The entrance is topped by six allegorical sculptures by sculptor Ladislav Kofránek. The main façade and the side wing are clad in Slovak travertine. The interior is also simple and strictly purposeful, if a little more ornate. Travertine, artificial stone and brass were again used for the monumental staircase and the entrance hall. The ornamental paintings on the ceiling of the central hall are the work of František Kysela. The furnishings and fixtures were also chosen to match the simple and expedient architecture of the building. Nowadays, all that remains of the original fixtures is in the information centre and the theatre section. The main decorative features are the stained glass windows by the painter and graphic artist Josef Sejpka and decorative grilles designed by the sculptor and architect Karel Štipl. In the vestibule there is a statue by Vilém Amort entitled Touha (Desire). In 1988, a memorial plaque was unveiled on the façade wall with a bust of Dr Vincenc Kramář, Czech historian and art theorist.

A space for a puppet theatre, which was moved here from Bubenec, was built in the basement on the side facing Žatecká ulice. The model of the stage and auditorium for the little theatre was built by the sculptor and woodcarver Vojtěch Sucharda, the founder and first director of the local Art Scene of the Říše loutek (Puppet Empire).

Around one fifth of the building is occupied by the mayor of Prague’s residence on the first and second floors of the front wing, which consists of an apartment, drawing rooms and reception rooms, a suite for distinguished guests, and functional facilities. The residence has its own entrance from the corner of Platnéřská and Žatecká. The residence is in complete contrast to the overall sober expediency. It is decoratively adorned in a refined and noble Art Deco style. František Kysela was involved in the décor. He also painted the ceiling and designed the large tapestry entitled Práce, věda a umění (Work, Science and Art). There are sculptures by Břetislav Benda, Karel Štipl and Vilém Amort, ceramic works by Helena Johnová, and paintings and sculptures by leading Czech and foreign artists of the 20th century such as Hugo Boettinger, Cyril Bouda, Jaroslav Šetelík and many others. The emblem of the City of Prague, designed by Karel Štipl, is displayed above the entrance to the mayor’s apartment, and the city and state emblems appear above the fireplaces. They were carved in granite by the sculptor František Přítel. The furnishing and decoration of the mayor’s residence was completed in 1930. The mayors of Prague have never actually occupied the residence, with the possible exception of Mayor Karel Baxa. However, it was regularly used to accommodate official visitors from abroad and for ceremonial and representative purposes. Between 1994 and 1995, it underwent a general renovation, which included the tasteful restoration of the artworks.

Proof of the modernity and grandeur of Roith’s library design from the era of the First Republic can be seen in the fact that it was not until the end of the 1970s that the library ceased to meet the needs of a modern information institution, in terms of both space and technology. The city embarked on an extensive project to refurbish the building, lasting from 1996 to 1998. The architects were ing. arch. Jiří Zavadil and ing. Jiří Grosz from the Atrea Praha studio. The general contractor was Konstruktiva Group – Konsit. The refurbishment work connected all the lending and study areas, and the availability of the library collections was increased. By roofing over two atriums and building galleries, the area was expanded by 900 m². The lending and information services use computer technology and are connected to the Internet. An electronic catalogue (Koniáš) was introduced, enabling readers to search for and order books. A new information centre was set up to provide factual information to anyone interested. The library provides musicology and theatre studies and Prague-related services, which have a long tradition here. You can listen to music media in the music section. The basement halls were also equipped with state-of-the-art technology for versatile cultural use. The collections are protected by an electronic security system. Since 1998, readers have been greeted in the entrance lobby by a distinctive work of art – Matej Krén’s Idiom, a column of 8 000 books topped with mirrors, creating the illusion of infinite knowledge.

The Municipal Library collects and lends fiction and educational literature for adult readers, children and young people, as well as newspapers, magazines, tourist maps, compact discs, cassette tapes, gramophone tapes, music, theatre texts, reproductions of artworks and graphic sheets. The founder of the library is the City of Prague.