MORE AWESOME LIBRARIES

ADMONT ABBEY LIBRARY,

AUSTRIA

Built in 1776, the Admont Abbey Library is the largest monastery

library in the world. The ceiling is adorned with frescoes depicting

the stages of human knowledge up until the Divine Revelation.

The entire design reflects the ideals and values of the Enlightenment.

MELK MONASTERY LIBRARY,

AUSTRIA

The Baroque-styled abbey and the library within were completed

in 1736 based on designs by Jakob Prandtauer. The library

includes a world-famous collection of musical manuscripts

and features stunning frescoes by artist Paul Troger.

AUSTRIAN NATIONAL LIBRARY,

AUSTRIA

Austria’s largest library is located in the Hofburg Palace

in Vienna and houses over 7.4 million items in its collections.

The library was completed in 1723 and features sculptures

by Lorenzo Mattielli and Peter Strudel and frescoes by Daniel Gran.

WIBLINGEN MONASTERY LIBRARY,

GERMANY

This library, completed in 1744, was modelled in the Baroque

style after the Austrian National Library, but it is by no means

just a cheap imitation of the original, and it certainly stands on its own.

Just outside the library there is an inscription reading

“In quo omnes thesauri sapientiae et scientiae,”

which translates to

“In which are stored all treasures of knowledge and science.”

STRAHOV MONASTERY LIBRARY,

CZECH REPUBLIC

This impressive library collection contains over 200,000 volumes,

including just about every important title printed in central

Europe by the end of the 18th century. And as if the

gorgeous décor and impressive book collection weren’t impressive

enough on their own, the library also has a favourite feature of many

geeks, two secret passageways hidden by bookshelves and

opened with fake books.

CLEMENTINUM NATIONAL LIBRARY,

CZECH REPUBLIC

The series of buildings that make up this National Library owe

their inception to an 11th century chapel dedicated to

Saint Clement (hence the name). The National Library itself was

founded in 1781, constructed in a Baroque style, and has

served as a copyright library since 1782. The collection now

includes historical examples of Czech literature, special materials

relating to Tycho Brahe, and a unique collection of

Mozart’s personal effects.

THE ROYAL PORTUGUESE READING ROOM,

BRAZIL

The Real Gabinete Português de Leitura in Rio de Janeiro holds

more Portuguese works than anywhere else outside of Portugal,

including a number of rare titles. Completed in 1887, the building's

design is based on the Gothic-renaissance style that was popular

at the time of the Portuguese colonization of Brazil. Inside the library

are both a stunning chandelier and a gorgeous iron skylight that

was the first of its kind in the country.

THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF BRAZIL

Another amazing library of Rio, the National Library of Brazil was

constructed back in 1810 and has since become the largest

library in Latin America and the 7th largest in the world. As a

copyright library, publishers have been required to send over

one copy of every title they've published since 1907, pushing the

library’s collection to over 9 million items, including a number

of rare books and an extensive collection of over 21,500 photos

all dating from before 1890.