Whether you’re a bookworm or an architecture lover, start adding these libraries to your must-visit list.
Stockholm Public Library, Sweden
Stockholm’s public library was designed by the famous Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund, who is also known for his work on the Skandia cinema. The round main hall has books in every Nordic language and a white, textured roof that was designed to look like clouds.
Dublin’s Trinity College houses the Book of Kells, a 19th century manuscript penned by monks in amazingly intricate fonts and illustrations. Do pay a visit to the library’s Long Room; staring down the 200-foot-long hallway stacked with 200,000 old books might just give you chills !
Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, this stunning library juts out of the downtown skyline. The glass-and-steel edifice stands 11 stories tall, and due to its location on a hill you can enter and exit on different floors.
State Library of South Australia, Adelaide
This library is a study in contrasts. On the outside, it’s an ultramodern glass box, but the inside of the building looks like it could have been a set on a Harry Potter movie. This library places particular emphasis on Australian history, works by indigenous authors, and maps.
Stuttgart City Library, Germany
Surely this isn’t your average library ! The main attraction—a five-story reading room shaped like an upside-down pyramid—looks more like an M.C. Escher drawing than a library, until you notice the hundreds of thousands of neatly stacked books, that is. Beautiful? For sure !!
Beitou Public Library, Taiwan
Everything about this library is ultra-green, thanks to a design meant to keep energy and water consumption at a minimum. The two-story wooden building’s slanted roof almost makes the library look like it’s winking at you. There are balconies along the sides, too, complete with rocking chairs where you can curl up with your favorite novel.
The library may be modern in design with minimalist furniture, and tidy rows of computers—but it still manages to have a classic, almost ancient feel. Perhaps the 100,000 books add a touch of archaism, or perhaps it’s because the sleek structure sort of resembles a vaulted wine cellar. Either way, this complex structure certainly belongs on every architecture lover’s bucket list.
Biblioteca Vasconcelos, Mexico City
Biblioteca Vasconcelos is truly something to behold. Inside, you’ll find more than 470,000 books stacked in hanging shelves, with curious details like see-through floors and a white whale skeleton on display. The building, made of concrete, steel, and glass, sits in the middle of a lush botanical garden containing flora native to Mexico.
George Peabody Library, Baltimore
Easily one of the most beautiful libraries in the U.S., the George Peabody Library (part of Johns Hopkins University) contains over 300,000 volumes stacked in five decorative tiers.
National Library of Finland, Helsinki
The National Library of Finland is easily one of the most stunning buildings in the country. The main building was designed in the early 19th century, with architect C.L. Engel pulling inspiration from Classicism with Corinthian columns, central rotunda, and halls coated with coated with stucco marble. Renovations in the 2010s restored added an underground kirjaluola (Finnish for “book cave”) to store some of the library’s three million books.
Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt
Alexandria was once home to the most famous library in the world. Now, Egypt pays homage to its biblio-heritage with this sleek granite building. Although there are plenty of books in three languages (Arabic, French, and English), there are also museums, a planetarium, and a lab dedicated to restoring and preserving ancient manuscripts.
Royal Library of Denmark, Copenhagen
This particular temple to books was originally built in 1648, but was renovated to its current state in 1999. The building is also home to the national photography museum, a café, a performance hall, and a large abstract fresco by renowned Danish artist Per Kirkeby on the inside of the ceiling.
Strahov Monastery Library, Prague
The Strahov monastery in prague was originally founded in 1143. Despite wars, fires, and other disasters, the order endured and built its library in 1679. The library’s best-known features are its remarkable ceiling, which is covered in Biblical frescoes, and the “compilation wheel” that turns to rotate shelves in order to make books easier to find without knocking any of them over.
