The National Library of the Czech Republic based
in the Klementinum, which is listed as national cultural heritage,
finds itself on the verge of its possibilities. Not only is getting
worse the state of the area from the point of view of construction
engineering, but also the capacity and technical conditions of
library collections´ storage are turning worse as well as the
conditions of services to users.
In consequence of a projected construction of a
new building of the National Technical Library (today´s State
Technical Library), the Government of the Czech Republic carried, in
the year 2001, the proposal of the conception of use of the cleared
premises of the State Technical Library in the Klementinum as well
as the intention to reconstruct the Klementinum. The Government
charged the Minister of Culture with securing the completion of
preliminary and exploratory works related to the above mentioned
intention and with negotiating this matter with representatives of
the City of Prague and owners of buildings in the neighbourhood of
the Klementinum. The Minister of Culture was also delegated to find
out possibilities and conditions of procurement of the above
mentioned buildings for the needs of the National Library´s
development. On the basis of results of negotiations, he should
consider a final variant and submit the investment programme to the
Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic.
In order to elaborate the investment programme,
to verify expenses necessary for the complete reconstruction of the
Klementinum, and to prepare specification and advertisment of the
architectural tender for the reconstruction, it was necessary to
finish the second stage of exploratory and preliminary works.
Archeological research in 2001 supplemented
results of the research in 1997 and confirmed the feasibility of the
original idea, i.e. necessary extension of the Klementinum premises
and creation of basic conditions for preparing the specifications of
the construction. Then, rough research of masonry from the point of
view of humidity was done mainly in the underground. The analysis of
the state of the buildings´ masonry brought the following results: a
part of the underground masonry was found out in state of high
humidification and disrepair, i.e. plaster and partially also
stonework have been gradually destroyed; major part of the
underground is in state of medium humidification. Microclimate
measurements were taken there and evaluation of their construction
engineering state was made in order to judge suitability of rooms
intended for storing the library collections. The survey of the
present state of the Klementinum and of a part of the buildings in
Liliova Street no. 5 was carried out and transferred into the
digital form.
The National Library in cooperation with a
technical contractor elaborated the project of the investment
programme, which met the requested parametres and was submitted on
schedule to the Ministery of Culture and consequently to the
Ministry of Finance for the approval. However, due to a delay in
preparing the construction of the National Technical Library´s new
building and due to a lack of clarity concerning variants of the
Klementinum´s reconstruction, the government of the Czech Republic
was asked for adjourning the discussion of the Klementinum´s
reconstruction.
It follows from the investment programme that it
is not possible to ensure certain decisive activities within the
present built-up area. There are missing namely the premises for
storage of the assumed acquisitions, other premises needed for users
(multi-purpose hall, cloakrooms, services hall), and necessary
technical, parking and communication areas. Therefore, it was also
taken into consideration whether some of the palace objects nearby
the Klementinum might be suitable for storing books, after it would
be purchased and reconstructed for the purpose of the National
Library. The Ministry of Culture checked up on the nearby historical
properties and then it recommended the Clam-Gallas Palace, which was
later assessed as unsuitable, namely for its layout and different
intentions of its owner. On the contrary, the Trauttmannsdorf Palace,
which is in the immediate neighbourhood of the Klementinum area
across the Seminařská Street, has an acceptable layout and might
thus be – after finishing its reconstruction – very advantageously
and purposefully used for the needs of the National Library. Due to
its autonomy and relative independence, the eastern Klementinum wing
(today´s State Technical Library) was preliminarily recommended to
house the Slavonic Library.
The investment programme comprises not only
demands for complex urbanistic and architectonic solution of the
construction, but it also contains more or less corrected
prospective demands of individual divisions and departments of the
National Library. A basic alternative was prepared, which counts
with maximum utilization of capacities of the Klementinum historical
area, including that of all rational ways of storage and transport
of books. Spacial division of rooms obeyed the existing layout of
historical building. The rooms, which will be available after moving
out the State Technical Library into its new building, are counted
among the space to be utilized. Also other measurements and
procedures were suggested – e.g. the request for providing the users
with at least basic services during the reconstruction. The
reconstruction must be realized in stages, which will be followed
with respective organizational changes. Compromise allocation of
workplaces will be limited in time and should be directed to the
future arrangement.
