The Most Beautiful Libraries in the World that are Worth Traveling to See
I’m not sure how my obsession with libraries began. I remember my grandfather having a bookshelf in his house full of his favorite novels and books on fishing, national parks, and reference guides. It was like a portal into his mind. Fast forward a few decades and I’m still as curious as ever to peruse the titles in old collections, but now they are inside monasteries, palaces, and grand private residences.
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You don’t have to be a librophile to appreciate the libraries on this list. Their features reflect the culture, period, style, and intellectual thought of their time making them a key attraction in their respective places. And, they are, quite simply a feast for the eyes.
This list is a “work in progress” because there are still quite a few more I hope to add as I travel. Drop your recommendations in the comments at the end!
Admont Abbey Library, Admont, Austria
Kirchplatz 1, 8911 Admont, Austria | Website
Admont Abbey is the oldest remaining monastery in the Styria region of Austria (just west of Vienna). Its library is the largest monastic library in the world, which includes a focus on scientific volumes and manuscripts.
The late-Baroque style hall that houses the library was designed and built in the late 1700s. The hall is divided into three sections, features seven ceiling frescoes, and houses about 70,000 volumes. The Abbey’s entire collection of books consists of about 200,000 volumes including more than 1,400 manuscripts from the 8th century and 530 early prints up to the year 1500.
Above photo: Admont Abbey Library
Admont Abbey Library is an easy day trip from Vienna or a road trip east from Salzburg. Read my full post on Admont here.
Strahov Library, Prague, Czech Republic
Strahovské nádvoří 132/1, 118 00 Praha 1-Hradčany, Czechia | Website
The Strahov Library is so over-the-top that it was chosen as a filming location and stand-in for the Palace of Versailles in Season 2 of Outlander. The library is comprised of two halls – The Theological Hall and the Philosophers Hall.
The Theological Hall was built in the 17th century and houses 18,000 volumes. The northern wall contains nothing besides various editions of the Bible or parts of the Bible in different languages. Of course, the most outstanding aspect of the hall visually is the ornate decoration and barrel-vaulted ceiling with hand-painted frescos.
Adjacent to the Theological Hall is the Philosophers Hall, housing more than 42,000 volumes. This 18th century library was the last great piece of building work in the abbey complex. It was built to accommodate the additions to the library and is also richly decorated with walnut shelving and ceiling frescos.
Above photo: The Theological Hall at Strahov Library
Strahov Library is centrally located in Prague’s Strahov district, bordering Prague Castle. Read my full post on Prague here.
Duke Humfrey’s Library, Oxford, England
Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BG, UK | Website
The Bodleian Libraries are a group of 26 libraries across the University of Oxford campus. However, when one says, Bodleian Library they are almost certainly referring to Duke Humfrey’s Library, the oldest reading room in Oxford, built between between 1450 and 1480. Named after Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester, the library started out with his donated collection of 281 books. While only a few of these remain, the Bodleian Library has literally millions of pieces in its collection.
The library is known for its exquisite medieval architecture, including an ornate ceiling with painted panels. The reading room is still actively used today by students studying at Oxford University.
Above photo: Duke Humphrey’s Library
Duke Humfrey’s Library is located in Oxford on Broad Street, near many other University attractions. Read my full post on Oxford here.
National Library of France, Paris, France
58 Rue de Richelieu, 75002 Paris, France | Website
The National Library of France (Bibliothèque nationale de France) is the central repository for all French publications, including books, manuscripts, and even some works of art. While its collections date to the 14th-century, the main buildings at the Richelieu site opened in 1868. For a period of time, it was the largest library collection in the world, but has since been surpassed by others. Still, with over 14 million books and 11,000 manuscripts, no one can argue that it isn’t comprehensive.
The main reading room at the Richelieu site is the Labrouste Reading Room, named after Henri Labrouste who was the architect of the Imperial Library in 1854. It underwent a series of renovations recently and is truly magnificent. Other areas worth seeing include the Oval Reading Room and Galerie Mazarin.
Above photo: Labrouste Reading Room, National Library of France
City Library, Stuttgart, Germany
Mailänder Platz 1, 70173 Stuttgart, Germany | Website
The Stuttgart City Library is the main public library in Stuttgart, Germany. Unlike the other libraries mentioned in this post, this library is a very new building with modern, cube-like architecture that is bright and minimalist. The cool-factor is undeniable.
The library’s collections include some special themes such as children’s titles and literary works from local Stuttgart writers. In total, somewhere around 1 million items are at this location, including books published in 25 different languages, films, music, and original prints, in addition to the ancient books and manuscripts that were brought over from the previous library housed in Wilhelmspalais (residence of the Wurttemberg king).
Above photo: Stuttgart City Library
Wiblingen Abbey Library, Ulm, Germany
Schloßstraße 38, 89079 Ulm, Germany | Website
Wiblingen Abbey is a Baroque Benedictine monastery, founded in 1093 and expanded in 1714. The monastery library was built built between 1740 and 1750 as a scriptorium and place to house the writings of the monks. It features a jaw-dropping Rococo interior with colorful ceiling frescoes, numerous sculptures, and secret hidden staircases leading up to a second floor.
The doorway leading into the library is inscribed with “all the treasures of wisdom and science.” Consistent with the Benedictine monks’ pursuit of scholarship and education, around 15,000 handwritten and printed books were once kept here. While many of these have been moved out, the atmosphere of the library hall has been preserved and is a must-see for visitors to Ulm.
Above photo: Wiblingen Abbey Library
Trinity Library, Dublin, Ireland
College Green, South-East Inner City, Dublin 2, D02 VR66, Ireland | Website
The Library of Trinity College is the largest library in Ireland, dating to the early 18th-century. Being the copyright library for Ireland and the United Kingdom, it holds over 4.5 million books and significant quantities of maps, manuscripts and music, with over 100,000 new receipts every year.
Of the six library buildings utilized for student research and housing its vast collections, the most well-known and visited is The Long Room of the Old Library. Two levels of floor-to-ceiling dark wooden bookcases line both sides of the hall, along with busts of famous thinkers and scholars. It is dramatic, moody, and highly evocative.
The UNESCO-recognized Book of Kells is by far the Library’s most famous book and is located in the Old Library, along with the Book of Durrow, the Book of Howth and other ancient texts.
Above photo: The Long Room, Trinity Library
Cuypers Library, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Museumpromenade 1, 1071 DJ Amsterdam, Netherlands | Website
The Cuypers Library, also known as the The Rijksmuseum Research Library, is the largest and oldest public art history research library in the Netherlands. Designed by Pierre Cuypers and completed in 1885, the architecture blends Gothic and Renaissance elements, as well as hand-forged wrought iron railings and a spiral staircase.
The multi-level main room is completely covered with floor-to-ceiling bookcases, which hold around 400,000 books, some of which dates back for the 16th-century. Most of the collections are housed in a tunnel below the library. One of the more unique features of the library is a barrel-vaulted skylight, which omitted the need for candlelight during the day.
Above photo: Cuypers Library
Mafra National Palace Library, Mafra, Portugal
Terreiro D. João V, Mafra, Portugal | Website
The Mafra National Palace Library is a Baroque masterpiece within the UNESCO-recognized Mafra National Palace in central Portugal. The library hall is 88 meters long, 9.5 meters wide, and 13 meters high, along which are two levels of floor-to-ceiling bookcases in matching Rococo adornments.
The ornate barrel vaulted ceiling, frescos, wooden architectural elements, and patterned marble floor is a pastel masterpiece. If that doesn’t impress you, consider the 36,000 leather-bound volumes, including a first edition of Os Lusíadas by Luís Vaz de Camões and other pieces from the royal collection.
Interesting fact: Behind the bookshelves, a colony of bats resides and emerge at night to quickly rid the palace of any bugs that might otherwise damage the ancient books and natural wood.
Above photo: Mafra National Palace Library
Joanina Library, Coimbra, Portugal
Biblioteca Joanina, 3000-233 Coimbra, Portugal | Website
The Joanina Library is named after King John V of Portugal, who commissioned its building. A visit includes a walk through the Academic Prison on the ground level, an intermediate floor used as a book depository, and the library on the Noble Floor. The library contains around 60,000 volumes, dating from the 16th to 18th centuries, all nestled and stacked on exquisitely carved and decorated shelves. Unfortunately, photography is not permitted inside the library. So, you’ll have to search Google for some photos.
Morgan Library, New York, US
225 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 | Website
The Morgan Library and Museum is the former private library of banker J.P. Morgan, one of New York City’s most famous and wealthy residents. It houses a 350,000-piece collection of rare books and manuscripts, plus drawings, prints, and ancient artifacts.
The library itself is lined with wooden bookshelves that sit behind large glass doors that stretch to the ceiling where they are capped with ornate painted murals and tapestries. The architecture is exquisite and eveything you imagine old money would look like. But, as you spend time perusing the exhibits and illuminated manuscripts it becomes clear that the most impressive part of the library is the collection itself.
Above photo: Morgan Library
Redwood Library and Athenaeum, Newport, Rhode Island, US
50 Bellevue Ave, Newport, RI 02840 | Website
The Redwood Library and Athenaeum in Newport, RI is is the oldest purpose-built library in the United States, dating to 1747, and the oldest continuously operating it its original location. There aren’t many places you can visit and experience this kind of direct link to the colonial period. The library is a mash-up of library, art gallery, study space, and museum.
The Neoclassic building has many of its original features and materials, including the same window casings and floor boards as when Thomas Jefferson and George Washington visited in 1790. Today, several expansion rooms house the library’s collection of over 200,000 volumes, an exquisite collection of portraits, and a small children’s library.
Above photo: Redwood Library and Athenaeum
Redwood Library and Athenaeum is located in Newport, RI near many other attractions. Read my full post on Newport here.
Library of Congress, Washington DC, US
10 First Street, SE, Washington, DC 20540 | Website
The Library of Congress is a law research library that serves Congress and is the de facto national library of the United States. It also happens to be the oldest Federal cultural institution in the US, established in 1832. The Thomas Jefferson Building, also known as the main library, is the oldest of the Library of Congress Buildings, and honestly it is hard to believe that this exists in the United States.
The elaborately decorated interiors consist of The Great Hall, The Jefferson Book Collection, and the Main Reading Room, but the scale of the Reading Room draws the most ooo’s and ahh’s. Crowned with a central dome and painted with murals, the library has immense marble columns, statues, bronze sculptures, stained glass windows, and priceless works of art. It is a must-see historic place for visitors to the Washington D.C. area.
Above photo: Reading Room at Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress
The Thomas Jefferson Building is located near the US Capitol building and National Mall. Read my full post on Washington D.C. here.
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