Strahov Monastery
The Strahov Monastery is a sacral building in the Strahov district of Prague, about a 20-minute walk from Prague Castle. It is considered one of the oldest existing Premonstratensian monasteries in the world. The monastic community was founded there already in 1143 at the instigation of Jindřich Zdílek, Bishop of Olomouc. Several notable buildings are part of the complex – the famous Strahov Library and Picture Gallery, the Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the Abbey Building and the Convent Building. The most valued is the Strahov Library, with over 200 thousand books stored in its special depository. There is also the Great Monastery Restaurant and the Strahov Monastery Brewery, where visitors can taste local beer specialities. The Strahov Monastery was first mentioned in the 13th century. A parking permit is necessary to park in the complex. Otherwise, parking is possible free of charge at the Brusnice stop in Kepler Street.
Useful information for visitors
Public transport connections
Malovanka bus stop, tram stop
Opening hours and admission
The Strahov Monastery can be visited on two guided tours – the Strahov Library and the Strahov Picture Gallery in the Convent Building. For up-to-date information about opening hours and admission fees, visit the official website here and here.
Interesting facts about Strahov Monastery
First, a wooden monastery and the Romanesque Basilica were built; other stone monastery buildings were constructed later. Further construction work was carried out in the late 16th century – the reconstruction of the dilapidated church, the construction of new monastery workshops, the renovation of the Abbey Building and the Convent Building and the construction of new gardens. The Strahov Monastery was plundered several times: in 1420 by the revolutionary Hussite movement; towards the end of the Thirty Years’ War by a Finnish regiment of the Swedish army; and in 1742 during a bombardment when the French occupied Prague. Abbot Kašpar Questenber ordered the transfer of the remains of St Norbert of Xanten, founder of the Premonstratensian order, to the Strahov Monastery.
