The Most Beautiful Libraries on Earth

6 cathedrals of knowledge everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime...

In his 1960 poetry collection Dreamtigers, Jorge Luis Borges wrote:

I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library.

It’s a comforting thought — and a profound one.

Paradise is a place where all questions are answered, and a library is the closest we can come to that here on Earth.

To walk into a great library is to step into the collective mind of humanity: rooms lined with our fears and philosophies, our sciences and scriptures, our fiction and our most enduring truths. Its shelves hold the record of all we have discovered, mastered, and dreamed across the ages.

And yet, it’s just as easy to ponder all we have lost... especially when imagining what places like the Library of Alexandria must have been in their heyday.

Artistic reconstruction of the Library of Alexandria

The most beautiful libraries on Earth are monuments to the idea that knowledge is sacred, and that preserving it is a duty owed to mankind.

Sometimes, I think they exude the same solemnity found in cathedrals.

In a world that urges us to “move fast and break things,” libraries, in contrast, gently invite us to slow down… They teach us that beauty matters in the pursuit of truth, and that good taste, like good knowledge, is acquired through exposure, contemplation, and time.

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In every age, great thinkers have turned to books not only to learn but to truly live. As Shakespeare reminds us in The Tempest:

My library was dukedom large enough.

A library can be an empire of the mind. It is the only place where the curiosity of a child can be as powerful as the wisdom of a professor. A sanctuary where the populace and the intelligentsia coexist — where a teenager reading Twain can sit side by side with a statesman reading Tacitus. Or at least, it used to be…

Today, most teens swipe screens instead of books, and statesmen read headlines instead of Tacitus.

The throne of knowledge gathers dust while the digital circus takes center stage…

George Peabody Library at Johns Hopkins University, USA

Jim Morrison once said that “the main key to education is just reading,” and that no school can flourish without a good library.

He was right. No education — no civilization — can long survive without one.

I could easily write an article featuring over 50 of these magnificent temples of learning, but in my opinion, the ones that follow stand out as some of the finest ever built…

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1. Royal Portuguese Cabinet of Reading, Brazil

Founded in 1837 by Portuguese immigrants, this marvel holds the largest collection of Portuguese literature outside Portugal. The interior, designed in the Neo-Manueline style, features ornate wooden bookcases and a vast collection of colorful volumes.

2. Trinity College Library, Dublin, Ireland

Words cannot do justice to the beauty of the Library of Trinity College in Dublin...

The largest library in Ireland, it has housed the iconic Book of Kells since 1661 and also preserves the historic Brian Boru harp and a copy of the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic.

3. Admont Abbey Library, Austria

Located in Admont, a small town by the Enns River in Styria, Austria, this is the largest monastic library in the world and is renowned for its Baroque art and ancient manuscripts.

4. New York Public Library, USA

Founded in the 19th century, the NYPL is the second-largest public library in the U.S. after the Library of Congress and the fifth-largest worldwide.

5. Abbey Library of Saint Gall, Switzerland

One of the oldest monastic libraries in the world, this medieval library in St. Gallen was designated a World Heritage Site in 1983 as "an outstanding example of a large Carolingian monastery."

From the 8th century until its secularization in 1805, it was one of Europe’s most important cultural centers.

There is a Greek inscription above the entrance door, ΨΥΧΗΣ ΙΑΤΡΕΙΟΝ, which means "a place for healing the soul." This phrase is inspired by a similar inscription found at the Library of Ramesses II.

6. Municipal Law Library, Munich, Germany

The law library in the New Town Hall is undoubtedly the most beautiful library in the city and one of the most breathtaking in the world.

Its iconic spiral staircase features a railing sculpted to resemble twisting vines and leaves, while the light fixtures echo this natural motif, seeming to grow organically from the walls…

Bonus: The view from Istanbul University Library

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The legendary Italian writer Umberto Eco owned a private library of over 50,000 books. When asked why he kept so many, he responded that criticizing someone for acquiring more books than they can read is like insisting one must use every piece of cutlery, every glass, or screwdriver before buying another.

And when it came to the life-changing nature of reading, he famously said:

By the age of 70, he who doesn't read will have lived only one life. He who reads will have lived 5000 years. Reading is immortality backwards.

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Thanks for reading! Now, I’d love to hear from you: share your favorite libraries in the comments and let’s turn this post into a longer list. Also, a quick reminder: this newsletter runs entirely on reader support. There are no ads, just a passion for sharing beauty. If you enjoy the content, consider contributing a few dollars a month. Your support makes a huge difference — and as a bonus, you'll get access to exclusive articles and the full archive. Thank you!