Karolinum (formerly

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

: ''Collegium Carolinum'', in Czech ''Karlova kolej'') is a complex of buildings located in the

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

. Karolinum, the seat of the Charles University, is one of the oldest dormitories situated in

Central Europe Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...

. The dormitory was named after the Emperor Charles IV.

History

Shortly after the establishment of Charles University in 1348, the young institution encountered several organizational problems. One of the major complications was the lack of lecture and accommodation rooms for teachers and students. Emperor Charles IV, apparently inspired by the organization of the Sorbonne college in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and by the newly founded universities in

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(1364) and

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(1365), decided to donate to the school a new college. In 1366, the university received the house of the Jew Lazar, located in the Prague's Old Town. However, the school was given appropriate rooms only in the early 1380s by Wenceslaus, the son of Charles IV. Wenceslaus chose a residence of the wealthy German merchant Johlin (Jan) Rotlev, whose son Martin (a funder of the second oldest German translation of

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) was closely linked with the court and supported the reformist tendencies of the university. Though it is known that Martin Rotlev inherited the palace, how it passed into the possession of the university remains unknown. The coat of arms of the Rotlev family forms part of the decoration of an oriel window of the college. In addition to the Rotlev Palace, King Wenceslaus also bought the surrounding buildings and rebuilt them for the school. The architectural shape of Karolinum changed significantly during its history. In the early 18th century, it was rebuilt in

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style, according to the plans of the architect František Maxmilián Kaňka. However, the reconstruction was only provisional and the structural condition of the building in the following decades was very bad. In 1786, during a visit in Karolinum, the Emperor Josef II expressed his dissatisfaction with the state of the ''"seat of muses"''.Petráň (2010), p. 44 It was even planned to sell the building, but in 1802 it was decided that Karolinum would remain in the hands of the Charles University. The decision was apparently influenced by renewed romantic and patriotic enthusiasm (which regarded the historical building as a significant monument for education in Bohemia). From 1879 to 1881, several parts of the building were rebuilt in the Neo-Gothic style by the architect Josef Mocker. Following

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and the establishment of the Czechoslovak state, the buildings of Karolinum remained a property of the Charles University. Karolinum is a ''National Cultural Monument'' of the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. The official publishing house of Charles University is named Karolinum.

Gallery

File:Praha Karolinum ext 2.jpg, Facade of the aula of the Charles University. File:Karolinum okno s nap DSCN0396.JPG, Karolinum, renaissance window. File:Karolinum, portál.jpg, Baroque portal by František Maxmilián Kaňka. File:Karolinum Kolinus DSCN3065.JPG, Prague, Karolinum, gravestone of , 1566.

Notes

References

External links

Karolinum – historické sídlo Univerzity Karlovy (Charles University, official website)
{{in lang, cs Buildings and structures in Prague Charles University National cultural monuments of the Czech Republic