10 Most Gorgeous Libraries Around The World!

The George Peabody Library, formerly the Library of the Peabody Institute of the City of Baltimore, dates from the founding of the Peabody Institute in 1857. In that year, George Peabody, a Massachusetts-born philanthropist, dedicated the Peabody Institute to the citizens of Baltimore in appreciation of their “kindness and hospitality.”

The Peabody Institute, according to George Peabody’s charter, originally comprised a free public library, a lecture series, a conservatory of music and an art collection. The Institute is now a division of The Johns Hopkins University.

The Klementinum library, a beautiful example of Baroque architecture, was first opened in 1722 as part of the Jesuit university, and houses over 20,000 books. It was voted as one of the most beautiful and majestic libraries in the world by our readers!

The ceiling frescoes were painted by Jan Hiebl. In 1781, director Karel Rafael Ungar established Biblioteca Nationalis, a collection of Czech language literature. Some of the rare historical books from this collection have been sent to Google for scanning and will eventually be available on Google Books.

This library, which is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, never sleeps and always welcomes the students. It is the realization of the university’s desire to provide a place where students can study at any time.
The building has a complex structure with a unique design that combines wood and steel-enforced concrete in a semi-circular “book colosseum” theme. It uses plenty of Akita cedar trees grown in the prefecture, and while its umbrella-roof that makes use of traditional techniques exudes an overwhelming presence, at the same time users are given a sense of peace of mind and tranquility from the beautiful cedar all around.

When this Department was built at the end of the 19th century, there was no electricity. Combustible substances, such as candles and gas lamps, had to be kept away from the more than 100,000 volumes. To allow as much light in as possible, the roof was therefore constructed as a leaded glass dome. Although the library is four storeys high, daylight can filter down to the floor thanks to the open cast-iron staircases and balustrades.

Ten stories tall, the building is covered in its entirety by mosaic stone murals depicting the history of Mexico. The building was built by architects Gustavo Saavedra and Juan Martínez de Velasco, and the murals conceived and executed by artist and architect, Juan O´Gorman. Began in 1948, the building took four years to complete and the stone mosaic murals cover 4,000 square meters. Amazingly all of the stones (even the bright blues) are in their natural colors, O´Gorman travelled all across Mexico to find the perfect stones. He chose to use natural occurring colors because painting the stones would have required constant renovating and re-painting. In the state of Guerrero they found the yellow, red, black and green stones. Some of the green stones were also found in the state of Guanajuato, and in Hidalgo they found volcanic rock that was in the hues of purple and pink. The blue was the hardest to find, but they finally found the blue stones in a mine in Zacatecas. The Central Library (La Biblioteca Central) is located in the north part of University City (Ciudad Universitaria), about a block east of Insurgentes, and two blocks south of Universidad.

The library is an example of Nordic Classicism, pioneered by Swedish architect Gunnar Asplund in the 1920s. The slightly chilly façade is, at the same time, oddly inviting, as if to say “we are here to work, but all are welcome.” This style was sometimes known as “Swedish Grace,” a simplified and accessible classicism that had great influence on everything from furniture design to sculpture.

Stuttgart City Library - Stuttgart’s central library in the Wilhelmspalais was once considered one of the most modern libraries in Germany. In the early 1990s, however, it became clear that it would soon reach its limits in terms of space. In 1997, the opportunity arose to plan a new building on the future Mailänder Platz and thus create a vibrant new educational and cultural institution for the city.

Dublin’s Trinity College Library has 5 million printed volumes with extensive collections of journals, manuscripts, maps and music reflecting more than 400 years of academic development.

The most famous of its manuscripts, the Book of Kells and the Book of Durrow, were presented by Henry Jones, Bishop of Meath and former vice-chancellor of the university, in the 1660s. Other special collections include the Ussher Collection acquired in 1661 and the Fagel Colection of 1802.

The Bibliothèque nationale de France is a major research and conservation library. Its origins date back to the Middle Ages, when the kings started developing and expanding their private collections. Charles V was the first to formalize the Bibliothèque Royale by installing the library in a tower of the Louvre in 1368. Another milestone was the Edict of Montpellier, enacted under Francis I in 1537, soon after the invention of movable type, which required that a copy of any work printed in France be deposited in the Royal Library. During the French Revolution (1789-1799), the Royal Library was transformed into the Bibliothèque de la Nation, and its collections were considerably expanded with material confiscated from the Roman Catholic Church and the aristocracy.

Located within Beitou Park in Beitou Hot Spring area of Taipei City, Taiwan, Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch, or Beitou Library is Taiwan’s first green library opened in November, 2006. Designed by the Taiwanese firm Bio-Architecture Formosana, Beitou Library is fitted with eco-friendly features and settings making it one of the most energy-efficient and environmental-friendly architectures of East Asia.