8 best libraries from around the world

Top 8 best libraries from around the world

 2018 Apr 20  Interesting to Know

A book is one of the greatest miracles created by man. Ever since people have learned to write, they have put all their wisdom in books. It opens world to us, help us to imagine the past, look into the future.

Nowadays, people have an access to almost every book. The Internet gives us this amazing opportunity, we can develop ourselves with reading books any time we want. Even though the electronic books are more widespread among the readers, we can’t underestimate the significance of the libraries.

The library is not just a building, it is a place with a special atmosphere and architecture. From ancient times people tried to collect not just all book in one building, they tried to gather all world wisdom in one place. Despite the crazy popularity of the Internet, libraries do not disappear, because they have a special meaning and can never be replaced by something else.

In this article is the information about the best libraries in the world, if you are a bookworm, you can’t miss it.

The Admont Library in Admont, Austria

The beautiful Admont Library is the second largest library in the world located in the monastery, in the foothills of the Alps. There are no analogs in the world of this building, it contains 200,000 volumes. The ceiling here is very sophisticated and historically valuable, it is presented in the form of 7 domes decorated with frescoes made by Bartolomeo Altomonte. All frescoes illustrate the different stages of the development of human knowledge about themselves and the universe.

Stuttgart City Library in Stuttgart, Germany

This is one of the “young” libraries in the world. It was opened on November 9, 2011. The project was designed by Korean architect Eun Young Yi, the construction costs 70 million euros. It took 3 years to implement this wonderful project. In addition to a large number of books, there are recreation areas for both children and parents offering coffee, games and entertainment rooms.

Royal Portuguese Reading Room in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The building is home to more than 350,000 books, as well as the largest collection of works by Portuguese authors outside of Portugal. The walls are completely covered with books, many of them are rare works from the 16th century. This is an ideal place for those who like to be surrounded by beautiful books

George Peabody Library in Baltimore, Maryland, USA

One of North America’s most beautiful libraries is located in the city of Baltimore at Johns Hopkins University. The George Peabody Library was opened in 1878. It contains more than 300 thousand books, most of them are dated back to18th and early 20th centuries.
The library of George Peabody, formerly known as the Library of the Peabody Institute, is located in one of the University’s campuses. The library was created by George Peabody to keep all the necessary documents and materials. The Institute itself was created to become the cultural center of Baltimore. The institute was opened in 1866.

Sainte-Geneviève Library in Paris, France

The library of Sainte-Geneviève was founded in the 6th century AD. Subsequently, the relics of Sainte-Geneviève, who is considered as a patron of Paris, were delivered to the library. The library “survived” through all the revolutions and wars that took place in France.
Today, the library is focused on research activities. The doors of the library are hospitably open for both French and foreign tourists.

Alexandria Library in Alexandria, Egypt

The Alexandria Library is the largest and most famous library of ancient Egypt. Its fund numbered 700,000 scrolls and manuscripts. For six centuries it was the home of science and technology, until the barbarians plundered it.

Today, the place of the legendary library has a new one. The Alexandrina Library opened its doors in 2002.
The architectural ensemble of the library combines traditions and modernity. The same concerns the arrangement of its reading rooms. There are 8 million books and texts for the users of the book depository. In addition to paper materials, readers have access to electronic copies of rare manuscripts.

New York Public Library in New York, New York, USA

The New York Public Library is not just a book depository, it’s a gigantic network of 87 offices located in Manhattan and Staten Island, the Bronx and even in Brooklyn and Queens. The total fund of this library is, according to the latest calculations, more than 53 million copies.

The idea to create a unified library network in New York came from the governor of the city, Samuel Tilden, who donated nearly $ 2.5 million to this ambitious project. Thus, in 1901 the libraries of Astor and Lenox that existed since the mid-19th century united and helped the idea of the governor to be realized. The main reason for this step was financial difficulties, which helped solve the legacy of Tilden and the support of Andrew Carnegie, who became the second sponsor of the project. Until now, the NY Public Library continues to be a non-profit organization and works through donations, including state donations.

José Vasconcelos Library in Mexico City, Mexico

Without any doubt, the library named after Jose Vasconcelos is one of the best in the country. A remarkable building of modern architecture is located in the city center, near the old railway station. A group of architects worked on this project, they managed to combine various modern trends and classical materials – wood, glass, metal, stone. The lighting, ventilation, and temperature maintenance systems are all aimed at keeping the books in perfect condition for as long as possible.