Ancient or modern, today we take a trip among the most fascinating libraries in the world, all different from each other but all very interesting. Among collections of texts, some of which are very ancient, in each of these libraries you can enter to enjoy their spectacularity. Let’s start a journey to discover beautiful places that need to be known, immersed in the characteristic scent of paper.
El Ateneo Grand Splendid of Buenos Aires
El Ateneo Grand Splendid and the largest library in South America and was built in 2000 in a building that first housed a theater which was then transformed into a cinema. Thanks to the skilful restoration work it has preserved its fascinating original atmosphere, where the stage, balconies and stalls become the areas that collect more than 120,000 titles.
Haeinsa Temple Library in South Korea
One of the UNESCO world heritage sites, the ancient Haeinsa Temple hosts afascinating library containing the famous 80,000 wooden tablets of the Tripitaka Koreana Buddhist scriptures. The wooden structures of the libraries have managed to preserve the entire collection over the millennia, allowing the testimonies of Buddhist culture to reach the present day.
Brandenburg University of Technology Library in Cottbus
Also known as IKMZ (Informations, Kommunikations und MedienZentrum), la Brandenburg University of Technology library is one of the most beautiful libraries in the world thanks to the skilful work of the architects Herzog & de Meuron who created an original building in the shape of an amoeba with a large spiral staircase of six meters in diameter connecting all floors.
Admont Abbey Library
The imposing Baroque Abbey of Admont hosts the Stiftsbibliotehek, the largest monastic library in the world. Here the 200,000 works are collected in a fascinating space where you can enjoy the beauty of the domed ceilings decorated with eighteenth-century frescoes by Bartolomeo Altomonte and wooden sculptures by Josef Stammel.
George Peabody Library in Baltimore
There George Peabody library it’s a public and university library (Johns Hopkins University) designed by the architect Edmund Lind. Described as the “cathedral of books”, it collects more than 300 thousand books arranged on 5 floors that overlook the main nave illuminated by a neoclassical skylight and decorated with fluted columns and two-tone marble floor, with open balconies.
Library of the Vienna Faculty of Economics
The library of the Vienna Faculty of Economics was designed by the famous Zaha Hadid, the Anglo-Iraqi architect awarded the Pritzker Prize who died in 2016. Characterized by a futurist architecture, the Library & Learning Center stands proud in the center of the university campus.
Stuttgart City Library
There Stuttgart city library, the Stadtbibliothek Stuttgart, was inaugurated in 2011, and in its modern structure it houses more than half a million volumes. Designed by architect Eun Young Yi, it is an 11-story cube-shaped building that is characterized by the profusion of white and brightness.
Austrian National Library in Vienna
There Austrian National Library and the Austria’s largest library, and is housed inside the Hofburg, a monumental Baroque palace, the winter residence of the Habsburgs. There are over 7 million books housed inside it and 250 thousand of the oldest are located in the Prunksaal, the Magnificent Room, where you can breathe the spectacular atmosphere of ancient times and its preciousness.
Trinity College Library in Dublin
The largest Irish library is located inside the Trinity College Dublin it was built between 1712 and 1732 and boasts a 65 meter long hall. It contains about 5 million volumes, including collections of ancient manuscripts, and in one of its rooms, the Long Room, is adorned with 14 busts by the Flemish sculptor Pieter Scheemakers.
Real Gabinete Português de Leitura of Rio
There Rio de Janeiro library it is a fascinating example of neo-Gothic architecture where more than 350 thousand books are kept, some of which are very ancient. Inaugurated in 1837, it has the charm of a sacred building thanks to the colorful stained glass windows, the large chandeliers and the imposing monument that stands inside.
