It’s often the case that, when visiting a foreign city, one of the main attractions will be the local libraries: sometimes because of their history, and sometimes because they are hosted in peculiar, uncommon buildings. We have good news for French residents, and generally for all culture lovers: after a 7-year renovation, the Richelieu library opened again. Its collection is the oldest in the country, and one of the most important in Europe, it belonged to the Sun King, Louis XIV. The project allowed the renovation and the reopening of the space that hosts the Richelieu collection, made of about 2 million tomes and books; the project also includes a plan for a museum within the library, to open in 2020 — setting a trend that other structures like it should definitely follow. So, what are the most beautiful libraries in the world, then? Every nation has its jewel: some libraries focus on modernity, some on their history, and some even on sustainability.
Here is our pick of libraries that deserve a visit at least once in your life.
Clementinum, Prague
(Pic BrunoDelzant)
The Royal Library Copenhagen, Denmark
(Pic: Jeroen Pulles)
Library of Congress, Washington
(Flickr Powhusku)
Central Library of Vancouver
(Flickr Danielle Griscti)
New York Public Library
(Flickr Andrew E. Larsen)
Stuttgart City Library, Germany
(Flickr jwltr freiburg)
Library of Birmingham
(Flickr tracey_dw)
Austrian National Library
(Flickr Tina van Voorst)