The history of Raesfeld Castle dates back to the early 12th century. It was owned by the Lords of Raesfeld and came into the possession of the von Velen family at the end of the 16th century. From 1643 to 1658, the Imperial Count Alexander II von Velen, the 'Westphalian Wallenstein', had the castle converted into a residential palace in the Renaissance style. In the first half of the 18th century, the von Velen von Raesfeld dynasty died out. The castle was inhabited only irregularly and gradually fell into disrepair.
At the beginning of the 19th century, parts of the complex were demolished or used as an agricultural estate until the 20th century. Of the former four wings of the castle, only the west wing with the distinctive stepped tower and the adjoining old building to the north with a rebuilt round tower remain today.After the Second World War, the Chambers of Crafts of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, as the new owners, had the remains restored. Today, the castle is the seat of the Chambers of Crafts' further education and training institution and is used for cultural events and as a restaurant.
References: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.