Are you looking for special places to think deeply and learn new knowledge? In the following article, I want to introduce you top 12 of the best libraries and reading rooms in Europe. Some of these libraries are made of beautiful Baroque style spaces and others are equipped with the most modern architectural designs.
1- Mafra Palace Library - Portugal:
This exclusive library is located in the amazing Mafra Palace and can only be reached by prior appointment. The historical and beautiful floor tiles are made of gray, white and red marble, which has attracted the attention of many photographers.
2. The Codrington Library - Oxford, England:
Inside the Oxford All Souls College, you can see these tall marble and green shelves up close. This huge, modern collection of books includes 185,000 works by world-renowned authors, a third of which date back to the 17th century!
3. Stuttgart City Library:
The crystal building of this library has 9 floors and includes stunning views of the city of Stuttgart. The white and modern white cube interior design attracts many tourists from all over the world every year and has received many awards for its unique architecture.
4- Admont Abbey Library:
This library is one of the largest buildings built in the style of classical churches in the world and is known as a masterpiece in the Baroque style. Its dome-shaped roof is decorated with stunning paintings that bring a manifestation of the progress and advancement of human science to the visitors. Its large windows flood the halls with light, which makes visitors feel the light of knowledge and thought shining on them!
5. Biblioteca Joanina - Library of the University of Coimbra:
This ancient library is named after the King of the Portuguese Sun Joao V, and represents the unique architectural achievements of a powerful ruler. King Joao devoted a great deal of time and money to the construction and design to works of art, and this library is no exception. All the books in it are from the nineteenth century and even earlier, and this has made this library an unrivaled historical treasure.
6- Old Library - Trinity College - Dublin:
The most attractive part of this library is the "Long Room", which is very similar to the classical European churches. There are also many stone sculptures in this room, all in the form of prominent philosophers and thinkers such as Aristotle and Edmund Burke, who have a history associated with this university. In October 2014, a huge collection of letters from the famous Irish author Samuel Beckett was added to the library.
7- Francois-Mitterand Library - National Library of France - Paris:
The National Library of France consists of several separate collections, each with unique treasures. One of these collections is the Francois Mitterrand Library, built in 1989 by Dominique Perrault in an international competition. This library is a symbol of modernity and is an ideal place to add to what has been learned.
8- Austrian National Library - Hofburg Palace - Vienna:
The Austrian National Library is located in the Hofberg Palace, which was once the seat of the Habsburg dynasty. In its interior design, beautiful and colorful Baroque style works have been used and you can find huge bookshelves made by hand and other antique and decorative objects in every corner of it. Its ceilings and walls are all arched, and there is a huge statue of the eminent Roman emperor Charles VI under the painted ceiling of its main hall.
9- "Biblioteca Marciana" - Venice:
Andrea Palladio, the famous Italian architect, believed that the Bibliotca Marciana was a masterpiece in every sense of the word and had not been made like it since the beginning of human history. The stunning paintings on the walls and ceilings of this library are one of its most fascinating parts, some of which were created by classical artists such as Titian and Tinterto. To enter the main hall of this library, visitors must first climb the extraordinary and dramatic marble stairs, which are decorated with decorations made of gold.
10- "Radcliffe Camera" - University of Oxford:
The Radcliffe Camera Library is located in a square of the same name on the main street of the University of Oxford. Most of its interior decoration is made of stones from this area, which has given this library a special look and atmosphere. Admission to the library is not always open to the public, but special tours run through it every Sunday and feature highlights such as the "Bodleian, Bodleian" collection.
11- Linguistics Library - Free University - Berlin:
Since the interior design of this library uses prominent white arches and lines, its interior parts are very admirable. Bookcases and reading stations are arranged in such a way that the space inside the library looks like a huge brain in which visitors are considered its neurons! Since the rooms inside the library are composed of two arched hemispheres that eventually become narrower and eventually meet, this allegory of the human brain continues in this way in the interior of the building. The walls of this library are made of two layers that open and close with the climate change of the city of Berlin and keep the temperature inside its halls balanced. This is what makes this building look literally alive!
12- "Baroque, Baroque study hall "
The Baroque Study Hall, located in the Clementinum Building Complex in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, is one of the finest examples of the modern architectural movement. The word "baroque" has its roots in the Spanish word "barroco", which means hard pearl. Unlike many other libraries in the world, the space inside Clementinum is really lively, and it pays special attention to the importance of studies related to religion.
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have a nice day ;)
