These Are The Most Beautiful Libraries In The World

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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