FX.co ★ Top 10 world's best libraries

The desire of people to transmit the accumulated knowledge of the world and human being to their descendants has led to the creation of book temples, libraries. It is believed that at present electronic information carriers displace paper ones, but this is not entirely true. Looking at the magnificent examples of architecture and innovative design that many libraries today represent, you understand that for most people traditional books still remain a priority.

New York Public Library

The building of the New York Public Library is not only a repository of books but also an architectural masterpiece, experts believe. Not only a magnificent view outside but also a luxurious interior decoration amazes guests. The library, which houses more than 50 million books, serves about 18 million visitors a year.

Austrian National Library

The Austrian National Library can compete with the New York Public Library by its splendid design and luxurious interior. The beauty of the building is largely because of the fact that the library is located in the palace of the Hofburg, the former residence of the Habsburg imperial family. It holds many copies of all Austrian publications, including those published abroad. In the collections of the library there are over 7.5 million copies of books. In addition, old manuscripts and rare editions are kept there.

Bodleian Library at Oxford University

Bodleian Library, located at Oxford University, the UK, is considered one of the oldest libraries in the world. According to experts, it can bear this title along with another ancient temple of books, the Vatican library. The institution is named after Thomas Bodley, a famous collector of ancient manuscripts. The volume of the library fund is 11 million books. The institution serves more than 1.3 million visitors annually.

Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial

A luxurious baroque library, located in the monastery complex of El Escorial in Spain, can boast a rich history. It was built in the 16th century. The richest book collection is kept on the shelves along the walls of a giant hall, the length of which is 55 m. The vaulted ceiling of the building is decorated with allegorical images of seven muses embodying rhetoric, music, grammar, arithmetic, geography, astronomy, and dialectics. The library houses the world's largest collection of Arabic manuscripts.

Trinity College Library

In Ireland, in the city of Dublin, there is also one of the most impressive ancient libraries in the world. The building of Trinity College, in which the book collections are stored, is a huge stone "casket" which conceals intellectual treasures. The main and oldest building of the library was built in 1712-1732. A lot of secrets and mysteries surround this institution. The library is famous all over the world for the legendary Book of Kells which is kept in its walls. According to experts, it contains the text of the Gospel written in the 9th century.

Coimbra University Library

According to experts, this Portuguese library can be considered the safest place for storing rare books. The institution's door is made of teak wood which helps maintain a constant temperature. At the same time, the colony of bats inhabits the library and eats up any insects that threaten book copies. So these amazing guards have been helping books for many years.

Library of Congress

This institution is recognized as the largest library in the world. The Scientific Library of the American Congress, founded in 1800, serves the government and research institutions. In 1814, during the war, the building with books completely burned down, and ex-President Jefferson handed Congress a personal collection of books. In 1907, the library acquired a collection of Krasnoyarsk merchant Yudin which contained 81 thousand books and magazines. The largest foreign collection of books in Russian is stored here.

Vasconcelos Library

The amazing library building of Vasconcelos is located in Mexico City. It is situated in the botanical garden. Elements of nature harmoniously integrated into the book space. Such a combination of nature and culture creates pacifying conditions for visitors.

Vatican Apostolic Library

The creation of the world's oldest library began in the 4th century. Over the course of many centuries, its archive had been regularly replenishing. Currently, the library funds number about 1.6 million books, 150 thousand manuscripts, and more than 100 thousand engravings and maps. The institution also stores about 300 thousand coins and medals. The library has a Laboratory for the Restoration and Reproduction of Manuscripts, one of the largest restoration centers in the world.

Tianjin Binhai Library

In 2017, in the Chinese city of Tianjin, in the Binhai district, a five-story library of a unique design was opened. Many visitors are attracted by its unusual interior and exterior. An incredible architectural marvel with a huge spherical hall in the center is designed in such a way that on the outside it looks like a giant eye, for which it was called the "Eye of Binhai". The library has 1.2 million publications that occupy all the free space, because of which there is a feeling that readers are almost in the sea of books.