The Saint Elisabeth Béguinage (Begijnhof) from 1238 is a combination of a béguinage square and street and was added to UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998. The Kortrijk béguinage was surrounded by the castle of the Counts of Flanders, the city walls and the St. Martin's Church Cemetery and is situated between the Church of Our Lady and the St. Martin's Church. The Kortrijk béguinage has been destroyed several times and its current form dates back to the 17th century. It comprises forty small Baroque houses each with an enclosed front garden.
The house with the double stepped-gable (1649) belonged to the 'Grand Dame'. The remarkable stair turret is the corner tower of the former St. Anna hall from 1682. In the Sint-Annaroom you will find the new experience centre. Her you will be immersed in many centuries of history in a remarkably dynamic manner. The béguinage also includes three chapels, including the Gothic Saint Matthew Chapel from 1464 that was transformed into the Baroque style in the 18th century. House number 41, near the entrance to the béguinage, will be converted into a house museum.
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.