January 10, 2026 | 09:22 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Known as the "City of a Thousand Spires," Prague attracts tourists with its medieval architecture and cultural history. The Czech capital boasts a wealth of well-preserved Gothic, Baroque, and Renaissance architecture, all of which are listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites.
The city has been a topic of conversation on social media, especially TikTok. Not because of its historic buildings in particular, but because of the book tower named Idiom or the Column of Knowledge.
The book tower, located at the Municipal Library of Prague, is built out of 8,000 books. Created by the Slovak artist Matej Kren, this tower is cylindrical in shape with a tear-shaped entrance and mirrors at each end, creating the impression of an endless or infinite tunnel.
This installation symbolizes boundless knowledge. Visitors can experience this by looking inside through a special hole in the column made of hardcover books.
Created in 1998
According to the official library website, this installation has been displayed in the city's Central Library's lobby at Mariánské námstí (Maria Square) since 1998, three years after the library was renovated. Since its establishment, this book tower has become an integral part of the library's hall, attracting the attention of tourists and locals alike. This tower has even been featured in the Lonely Planet guidebook and reproduced on the cover of Science magazine.
Due to its popularity, this book tower is highly sought after by tourists. The library's website mentions that during tourist seasons (Christmas, Easter, and summer holidays), the queue can take up to two hours. During the off-peak season, the queue is around thirty minutes. People wait to take photos with the statue and look inside, which takes quite a long time. Many tourists only stop to see the book tower and then leave without entering the library.
This book tower is open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., except on Mondays when it opens at 1:00 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays when it opens from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Read: Top 5 Most Beautiful Cities in the World According to Travelers, All in Europe
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