These Are The Most Beautiful Libraries In The World

By Libby Ryan   ‧   01/05/2018   ‧   Explore /

@greatepicurean

Hold onto your reading lists. These gorgeous libraries around the world house more books than you could read in a lifetime. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try – once you’ve stopped staring at the stunning decor and selected a book. Here are the most beautiful libraries in the world.

Library Of Congress – Washington, D.C., U.S.

The Library of Congress has 164 million books, films, maps, sheet music and legal records. There are 38.6 million cataloged books alone.

State Library of South Australia – Adelaide, Australia

This library has a dedicated “treasures” wall where you can get a preview of the best photographs, rare books and manuscripts found in the stacks.

Strahov Monastery Library – Prague, Czech Republic

The Cabinet of Curiosities at Strahov dates back to 1798 before museums were a common way of displaying rare artifacts.

A post shared by Gemma Rudd (@icegem22) on

Royal Portuguese Reading Room – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

There are three stories of books on every wall surrounding the main reading room here. It’s basically the library from “Beauty and the Beast.”

The New York Public Library – New York, U.S.

The main branch of NYC’s library system has 125 miles of shelving in the stacks.

A post shared by Kets (@caligeek127) on

Trinity College Old Library – Dublin, Ireland

This isn’t your average university reading room. There’s a 9th-century Christian gospel manuscript on display here.

A post shared by Emerald 📷 (@emerald85_) on

The Austrian National Library – Vienna, Austria

This Viennese library is the biggest baroque library in Europe, but its origins trace back to its days as the “Imperial Library” in the Middle Ages.

George Peabody Library – Baltimore, U.S.

This Johns Hopkins library has five stories of book-filled balconies, mostly containing 19th-century tomes on art, philosophy and history.

A post shared by Steven Murphy (@sjmurphy93) on

Next on Swirled

Most Popular