Libri Prohibiti - History of The Libri Prohibiti

History of The Libri Prohibiti

On October 22, 1990, the Libri Prohibiti opened with help from different organizations including the Czechoslovak Charter 77 and the President of the Czech Republic. The original location was on Podskalska Street, and later moved to its current location at Senovazne namesti 2. The collection began with around 2,000 monographs and magazines that were acquired by Jiri Gruntorad during the years of “normalization” in the Czech Republic. Since then, the collection has continued to grow and expand with the help and support of government grants and generous donors.

The Society of Libri Prohibiti was formed on April 24, 1991 to help the library establish itself as a legal entity. The society was officially established after registering with the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic. The primary goal of the society is to help the Libri Prohibiti continue operating and acquiring new materials for its collections.

Many of the founding members of this society were significant and established authors, former government and academic leaders and employees, and teachers and other prominent members of the community. Among some of the most prominent founders of the society were Václav Havel, Ivan Klima, and Jan Vladislav.

Today there are over 180 members of the Society of Libri Prohibiti. The society invites any interested people to join if they would like to contribute or help the Libri Prohibiti in any way.