In a deep, thickly wooded valley, the River Bosna turns abruptly almost 180 degrees creating a sharp ridge on which this little 15th-century Vranduk castle sits in the midst of a tiny, charmingly coherent village. Vranduk represents one of many medieval Bosnian towns with intensive political, economic and cultural life. The castle is composed of a citadel with the main tower and a protective wall, surrounding the interior of the medieval town.
After taking the city in the 15th century, the Turks built a mosque alongside to the citadel. During Eugene of Savoy’s devastating campaign in 1697, he bypassed the fortress completely as it posed too great an undertaking, leaving it the only fortification left unconquered. Today, Vranduk offers visitors an authentic taste of Bosnian history, in both the museum set up in the great tower, and the traditional Bosnian meals.
The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.
Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.