There is something so romantic about libraries. It reminds me of romances through the book shelves, greeting people while walking the long aisles, sweet smell of paper, an irresistible want to touch vintage book covers, stumbling upon the first edition of your favourite book, exchanging long forgotten smiles, and sharing the love of books with people around. Apart from being a physical container of knowledge and literary musings from around the world, there are some libraries which are designed to stun you with their architectural finesse. At times, t here are obvious parallels between an author and an architect – both strive for greatness, with the objective of producing works that will stand the test of time.
We bring to you a list of the most spectacular libraries from around the world.
1. The Clementenum, Prague, Czech Republic
2. The Main Reading Room, Library of Congress, Washington D.C
3. Boston Public Library, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
4. Old Library, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
5. The Iowa State Law Library, Iowa, USA
6. The Admont Library, Admont, Austria
7. George Peabody Library, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Source: Fodors8. Melk Monastery Library, Austria
9. Jay Walker’s Private Library, USA
10. Morgan Library, USA
11. The Gothic Study in Hearst Castle, California, USA
12. The Royal Danish Library, Denmark
13. New York City Public Library, USA
14. Bibliotheque National De France, Paris, France
15. Bibliothèque Mazarine, Paris, France
16. Library of Parliament, Ottawa, Canada
17. Stockholm Public Library, Sweden
18. Austrian National Library, Austria
19. Handeligenkamer Tweede Kamer De Statan, Netherland
20. El Escorial, Madrid, Spain
21. Sky Walker Ranch, USA
22. Mortlock Wing of the State Library, South Australia
23. Tripitaka Koreana, Korea
24. State Library of New South Wales, Australia
25. Palafoxiana Library, Mexico
26. The Tianyi Pavilion Library, China
27. John Rylands Library, Manchester
28. The Oberlausitzische Library Of Science, Gorlitz, Germany
29. Vennesla Library, Vennesla, Norway
30. The City Libary, Stuttgart, Germany
31. St. Florian Monastery, Austria
32. St. John’s College Library, Cambridge, UK
33. National Library Of China, Beijing, China
34. Harper Library, USA
35. Biblioteca Real Gabinete Portugues De Leitura, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
36. Biblioteca Joanina, Coimbra, Portugal
37. Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University, Connecticut, USA
It is impossible to not get smitten by these marvels. If only they were closer to home! Sigh!
