Library Obsession | Around the World

My library obsession around the world started with a visit to a few libraries and now it’s on every to-do list when I travel. Visiting libraries has become my number one thing to do when travelling somewhere new. I guess you could say my obsession with beautiful libraries started with the library in Beauty and the Beast, and has expanded every time I travel and visit a new one. Each trip I find even more impressive libraries around the world!

Marsh’s Library, Dublin

Marsh’s Library in Dublin is Irelands oldest public library and is in the same location as it’s original founding. Tucked away behind St. Patrick’s Cathedral through an unsuspecting door, you’ll stumble across this library. A majority of the books are still in their original leather bindings. Make sure to chat with some of the librarians if they’re available, and read through the plaques in the main hall.

So many of the books went missing that the library that they had to stop lending the books out. Instead, the librarians locked people in the room with the book to prevent them from being stolen. Many literary figures did research here like Bram Stoker (author of Dracula, who drew his inspiration from Dublin). Make sure to stop in! Unfortunately I have no pictures to show you (no photography is allowed) but it’s well worth a visit.

National British Library, London

The Sir John Ritblat Gallery is filled with historical documents! The documents range from art to music to history to religion to science and everything in between. You’ll recognize a lot of the works such as: handwritten lyrics from the Beatles; sketches from Leonardo da Vinci; handwritten notes from Anne Boleyn to her sister; manuscript of Jane Eyre; Johann Gutenberg’s Bible; Jane Austen’s diaries; and the Magna Carta. You’ll be amazed at the history you get to see with your own eyes.

Austrian National Library, Vienna

The largest Baroque library in Europe, it’s easy to see why the Austrian National Library is one of the most beautiful libraries in the world. It houses two pairs of the oldest globes. If you get there before opening and wait in line, you can be one of the first people in the library to take photos without people!

Read more: Fantastic Vienna Itinerary | Where to Stay and What to Do in the Austrian Capital

Canadian Library of Parliament, Ottawa

Unfortunately Centre Block and the Library are ungoing major renovations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa for the next 10-15 years so tours are currently unavailable but it’s absolutely stunning. The library is the only part of the original Parliament building that burned down in 1916 and it has both the full English and French set of Harry Potter.

Read more: Fantastic Ottawa Staycation for the First Time Visitor

Liverpool Central Library – Picton Reading Room

The Picton Reading Room in the Liverpool Central Library is one for the books! The room is a beautiful circular library with three floors of books lining the room. You can venture up a circular staircase to the second floor, and wander along the stacks. Many people visit to work, read or study here. It would be a stunning library to do any of those things!

Baroque Library, Prague

Unfortunately another library I couldn’t take photos in and is only available to see by tour but it’s stunning! I wish I could have spent more time but, in order to be fair, I got to see it for about a minute before letting someone else take a peak through the door.

Just as soon as I finished this post, Lonely Planet went ahead and posted about their awe-inspiring libraries. I am on the bandwagon!

Livraria Lello, Porto

This one is actually a bookstore, not a library, but it has continued to fuel my obsession with books around the world! Once thought to be the inspiration for the Hogwart’s stairs in Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling later dunked this saying she never visited the bookstore when she lived in Porto. Regardless, it is a stunning place well worth the visit (even with the crowds!).