20 of the most beautiful libraries in the world
The New York Public Library is an architectural landmark, where grand, marble lion statues guard more than 50 million books inside. It serves 18 million patrons a year.
It's hard to keep your eyes glued to the page in The Austrian National Library's baroque-style State Hall, where carved wooden galleries and frescos captivate.
Year Established: 1726
Architect: Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach
Source: österreichische Nationalbibliothek and Vienna Unwrapped
Rio de Janeiro's Royal Portuguese Reading Room houses the largest collection of Portuguese works outside of Portugal. The dazzling neo-Gothic style was popular at the time of construction.
Year Established: 1887
Architect: Rafael da Silva e Castro
If the lavish interiors of the Bodleian Library at University of Oxford look familiar, it may be because a reading room served as the Hogwarts library in a "Harry Potter" movie. It's one of the oldest libraries in Europe.
Shiny, black facets blanketing The Black Diamond reflect the sea and sky on a Copenhagen harbor. Its angular design plays with the theme of symmetry.
The zebra-like stripes on the University of Aberdeen New Library are insulated panels, cutting energy costs. They also glow at night, lighting the way for students.
Cobble stones form a path to the Trinity College Old Library, located in the heart of Dublin. It houses the famed "Book of Kells," a 9th century gospel text.
There's no safer place for rare books than Portugal's Coimbra Library. The door is made of teakwood to help keep a consistent temperature, while a native colony of bats that lives inside eats up any insects threatening to attack the books.
Bookshelves surround visitors at the Musashino Art University Museum & Library in Tokyo. It looks like a spiral from above, drawing book-lovers inward.
When the British set aflame the original Library of Congress in 1814, retired President Thomas Jefferson offered his personal collection as the seeds for Washington, DC's new library. It was built in the style of the Italian Renaissance.
Year Established: 1897
Architects: John L. Smithmeyer, Paul J. Pelz, and Edward Pearce Casey
Source: Library of Congress
At the Vennesla Library and Cultural Centre, a system of rib-shaped beams and columns create eye-catching bookshelves. It's packed with hidden reading nooks.
The centerpiece of Prague's historical Clementinum complex, the Baroque Library is home to rare globes and ceiling frescos depicting culture and science themes.
Clinging to Egypt's Mediterranean coast, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina contains nearly one million square feet of wood-finished floor space that's spread over eleven levels.
Nestled in a botanical garden, the José Vasconcelos Library in Mexico City blends nature and culture seamlessly. It also resembles a certain set from "Interstellar."
The proposal for the first library in Venice, Italy, was submitted in 1363. The National Marciana Library opened its doors two centuries later, complete with ornate columns and a vast sculpture collection.
Five tier, cast-iron balconies form the centerpiece of the George Peabody Library at Johns Hopkins University. It contains over 30,000 titles dating back to the 1700s.
Described by its architect as the "people's palace," The Library of Birmingham is covered in an intricate skin inspired by the industrial city's artisan tradition.
The Stuttgart City Library in Germany sits in a perfect cube, with dizzying staircases cutting across. Its open-concept design imitates the wandering thoughts of visitors.
The Beitou branch of the Taipei Public Library, described on the website as a "paradise of books," resembles a large treehouse. There's even a rooftop garden.
Year Established: 2006
Architect: Bio-Architecture Formosana
Sources: Taipei Public Library and Travel Taipei
The Seattle Public Library's Central Library celebrates all storytelling mediums. The crystalline structure contains 400 computers and 1 million books.
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