20 of the most beautiful
libraries in the world
Constructed in the 17th century, the Boleian Library & Radcliffe Camera is one of the oldest libraries in Europe.Shutterstock.com
A library can be a second home for a bibliophile.
They come in all shapes, sizes, and levels of embellishment. The nearly 300-year-old State Hall in Vienna, Austria, boasts carved wooden galleries, baroque-style statues, and frescos, while Taipei's Beitou Branch resembles a treehouse more than a shelter for books.
We scoured the internet and found 20 of the most beautiful libraries around 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.
Year Established: 1911
Architect: Carrère and Hastings
Source: New York Public Library
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.
Year Established: 1602
Architect: Unknown
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.
Year Established: 1999
Architect: Schmidt Hammer Lassen
Source: Visit Copenhagen and arcspace.com
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.
Year Established: 2012
Architect: Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects
Source: ArchDaily
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 gospel text written in the 9th century.
Year Established: 1732
Architect: Thomas Burgh
Source: Trinity College Dublin
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.
Year Established: 1728
Architect: Gaspar Ferreira
Source: University of Coimbra
Bookshelves surround visitors at the Musashino Art University Museum & Library in Tokyo. It looks like a spiral from above, drawing book-lovers inward.
Year Established: 2010
Architect: Sou Fujimoto
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
The centerpiece of Prague's historical Clementinum complex, the Baroque Library is home to rare globes and ceiling frescos depicting culture and science themes.
Year Established: 1722
Architect: Giovanni Dominik Orsi
Source: The Clementinum and Prague.eu
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.
Year Established: 2002
Architect: Snøhetta
Source: ArchDaily
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."
Year Established: 2006
Architect: Alberto Kalach
Source: designboom
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.
Year Established: 1588
Architect: Jacopo Sansovino and Vincenzo Scamozzi
Source: Venice-Tourism.com
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.
Year Established: 1878
Architect: Edmund G. Lind
Source: The George Peabody Library
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.
Year Established: 2013
Architect: Francine Houben
Source: The Library of Birmingham and ArchDaily
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.
Year Established: 2011
Architect: Yi Architects
Source: Architectural Review
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
No comments:
Post a Comment