Not far from the Old Market Square stands Bielefeld’s oldest town church, Altstädter Nicolaikirche, which became an independent parish church in 1236. The interior of this Gothic hall church (1340) features a priceless wooden altar carved at the Antwerp workshops of the St. Luke’s guild in 1524. The carvings depict more than 250 figures in scenes from biblical stories.
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.