250 years ago, Prague’s first library opened its doors to the public

It was the bookseller Wolfgang Gerle and his brother Ondřej who were at the origin of the first loans of literary works and newspapers: by transforming part of his apartment on Karlova Street into a newspaper and magazine reading room called Sečtělý spolek ( “Erudite Club”), Wolfgang Gerle contributes to making literature available to the general public. His bookstore then became a refuge for literature lovers.

In 1781, his brother Ondřej’s business, located on Old Town Square, became the first officially licensed book lending establishment and reading room. Interested parties can not only borrow daily newspapers and literary works, but also participate in book auctions.

Censorship and ban

However, the activity of public reading rooms has seen some obstacles put in its way throughout history. In 1798, by order of the Chancellery of the Austrian Court, all public reading rooms were closed, then banned the following year, for fear of the spread of revolutionary ideas. It was only in 1811 that Emperor Francis I of Austria authorized their reopening… under the strict control of the authorities.

Subsequently, the Czech Cultural Renaissance marked the golden age of public libraries: while in 1848 there were only 50 establishments of this type, by 1891 their number had increased to 465. Reading thus became one of the most popular pastimes, and even today the Czech Republic can boast the largest number of libraries in Europe.