There’s a certain magic to grandiose libraries, filled with centuries of knowledge. The wealth of information in these libraries is nothing to scoff at; it’s the interior and exterior design of these libraries that has our jaws on the floor, from vaulted ceilings and decadent designs to soaring, epic shelves filled with books.
Stiftsbibliothek Sankt Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
This medieval monastic library dates back to the Middle Ages. It served the monastery in 612 and has ornate wooden bookshelves and floors, and artwork of carved cherubs and ceiling frescoes, even down to the leather-bound volumes on those wooden shelves. Many people think of libraries as stuffy, but this feels more like an airy, bright, and ultimately otherworldly cathedral of wisdom.
Admont Abbey Library, Austria
Austria is known for its architecture, and this library is no exception. This monastic library, which was completed in 1776, inspired the grand one in “Beauty And The Beast.”
It looks like a magnificent painting. Ceilings are decorated with mural paintings, and while you’re mostly meant to look down at pages in a library, you’ll probably be looking up at the ceilings with awe most of the time.
Trinity College Library, Dublin, Ireland
Though it’s a bit more sober than the art-filled beauty of these libraries, it’s equally striking, with many people comparing it to the library from the world of Harry Potter. Housing thousands of rare manuscripts, its dark timber, marble busts, and towering bookcases are a daily treat for students who attend here.
Biblioteca do Convento de Mafra, Mafra, Portugal
This library is part of the Mafra Palace complex, and built in Rococo style, it combines pale walls and marble floors with gorgeously carved shelves. The result is a look that’s stately and refined, yet luminous as well.
Its light colorscape is a breath of fresh air compared to the serious, dark mahogany of other famous libraries.
Klosterbibliothek Metten, Metten, Germany
The official library for Metten Abbey is designed in late-Baroque style with a bevy of frescoed ceilings, sculptures that appear to hold up the vaults, and gilded stuccos. The result is nearly celestial, merging a library and museum in a breathtakingly unique design.
Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Rome, Italy
You won’t find anything average in Italy, including this library. As the official library of the Vatican, it’s no wonder that the historic interiors are something to marvel at. Renaissance-inspired architecture and long, dramatic, frescoed halls paired with intricately decorated surfaces make for a Sistine Chapel-esque aesthetic.
State Library of South Australia
This nearly 200-year-old library is home to a massive collection of documents that chronicle South Australian history since pre-colonial times, but equally famous is its Mortlock Chamber wing, designed in 1884, many years after the library’s construction.
It’s so incredible that it’s rented out for cocktail parties, wedding receptions, and formal dinners.
Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, Paris, France
This 19th-century reading room was designed by Henri Labrouste, a French architect who created a pioneering, one-of-a-kind creation made of iron and glass. Combining elegant, exposed cast-iron arches with airy glass, arched windows, and a roof with twin barrel vaults of exposed iron, making for one of the most poetic industrial-chic libraries in the world.
Rijksmuseum Research Library, Amsterdam, Netherlands
This research library lives under the same glass roof of the Rijksmuseum, combining Gothic Revival drama with the study of art history. Like the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève, it’s famous for its soaring ironwork. It also has a meticulous symmetry and tiered galleries, culminating in a reading room that’s just as cinematic as it is academic.
Real Gabinete Português de Leitura, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
This cultural institution, located in the heart of Rio de Janeiro, with an imposing chandelier and multiple stories adorned with shelves of books spanning the eras, is a love letter to Gothic-inspired details and carved dark wood but is brightened up by a luminous central skylight. It’s theatrical and richly textured and has cathedral energy.