Karolinum

Karolinum
Karolinum
Karolinum
General information
Location	Old Town, Prague
Address	Ovocný trh 541/3
Country	Czech Republic
Coordinates	50°5′10.89″N 14°25′24.19″E / 50.0863583°N 14.4233861°E

Karolinum (formerly

dormitories situated in Central Europe. 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

Wenceslaus, the son of Charles IV. For this purpose, Wenceslaus chose a residence of the wealthy German merchant Johlin (Jan) Rotlev. Rotlev's son Martin (who financed the second oldest German translation of Bible) was closely linked with the court and supported the reformist tendencies of the university. Though it is known that Martin Rotlev inherited the palace, the way by which it passed into the possession of the university remains unknown. The coat of arms of the Rotlev family is a part of the decoration of an oriel window of the college.^[2]

In addition to the Rotlev Palace, King Wenceslaus also bought the surrounding buildings and rebuilt them for the purposes of the school.

The architectural shape of Karolinum changed significantly during its history. In the early 18th century, it was rebuilt in

Neo-Gothic style by the architect Josef Mocker

.

Following the World War I 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 official publishing house of Charles University is named Karolinum.