Strahov Monastery

Strahov Monastery is one of the oldest monasteries in the Czech lands and was once one of the largest monastic complexes in medieval Central Europe. Bishop Henry of Olomouc, inspired by his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, invited the Premonstratensians from Steinfeld in the Rhineland. Romanesque stone masonry still peeks through beneath the Baroque exterior.

The tour begins with a visit to the famous Strahov Library and its renowned reading halls. Participants then explore the ground-floor spaces of the former convent - the cloister bearing traces of all architectural styles, the chapter house, and Romanesque cellars. There awaits a cycle of ten paintings by Jan Jiří Hering dedicated to the order's founder, St. Norbert. Throughout the journey, the ceilings and walls speak through the work of Siard Nosecký, a canon here who decorated parts of the convent, the Theological Hall, and the summer refectory in the Baroque style - on its ceiling, Christ hosts a banquet of the righteous in the presence of abbots Jan Lohel and Kaspar Questenberg. The tour concludes with a visit to the Strahov Treasury, featuring five masterworks of European significance.

Practical information:
- Meeting point: before the entrance to the treasury (Church of St. Roch) in the monastery grounds
- Duration: approximately 2 hours
- End of tour: in the Picture Gallery - after the guided tour there will be time for individual viewing of the artworks
- Guide: Lenka Kliková
- The tour takes place in all weather conditions.
- Admission is paid on site: adults 390 CZK / reduced 220 CZK (seniors 65+ and children under 17), family ticket 790 CZK.