Exhausted, Parched, Inventive

The exhibition presents thirty cultural monuments — originals of rare medieval manuscripts held in the National Library of the Czech Republic. Medieval scribes often added a note called a colophon at the end of their copying work. In it, they typically recorded when, where, and what they copied, and sometimes introduced themselves. At times they prayed or asked for prayers, apologized, complained, demanded payment, threatened book thieves, or played and experimented. However, these were usually not their personal opinions and feelings, but established formulas that scribes simply adopted, though often modified in various ways. The exhibition is free and open to the public in the Klementinum Gallery, entrance B, ground floor. It runs from 26 May to 5 July 2026.