The 10 most beautiful libraries in the world

Impressive architecture, art treasures and a Harry Potter atmosphere: these libraries are more than just books.

1. New York Public Library (New York, USA)

With more than 51 million media, the New York Public Library is not only one of the largest libraries worldwide, but also numerous celebrities like Bob Dylan, Jackie Onassis, Grace Kelly, Marlene Dietrich and Jonathan Safran Foer are said to have made themselves comfortable here. By the way, the imposing NYPL is a regular Hollywood location, as in Breakfast at Tiffany, Spider Man, The Day After Tomorrow, Ghostbusters and Sex And The City.

2. Biblioteca Joanina (Coimbra, Portugal)

The Biblioteca Joanina in the Portuguese university city of Coimbra, a jewel of Baroque architecture and part of the University Library, houses a dark secret in its depths: The cellar of the library has been used as a prison in the past - for scientists and students convicted by its "own" university court had been.

3. Biblioteca Vasconcelos (Mexico City, Mexiko)

The Biblioteca Vasconcelos is located in Mexico City and is one of the largest libraries in the country. In the entrance hall of the modern building stands an impressive work of the artist Gabriel Orozcos, a huge sculpture in the form of a whale skeleton.

4. Bodleian Library (Oxford, England)

As the main library of the University of Oxford, the Bodleian Library is not just a landmark in the university campus. Above all, it is known as a film location: the first two Harry Potter films were filmed in the wood-paneled halls. Magic Hogwarts atmosphere in Oxford.

5. Beinecke Library (New Haven, USA)

The Beinecke Library, part of Yale University in New Haven, houses an impressive collection on the history of printing. Highlight: the Gutenberg Bible, which was printed between 1452 and 1454 by Johannes Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press, in Latin.

6. Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Alexandria, Egypt)

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina in the Egyptian port of Alexandria impresses above all with its eye-catching architecture, which has already been awarded several prizes. Highlight of the library opened in 2002, which is located near the destroyed ancient library of Alexandria: the glass roof, which tends like a solar disk in the direction of the sea and symbolizes the rising sun.

7. Bibliothèque nationale de France (Paris, France)

One of Paris' most magnificent libraries is not for children: access to a room of the Bibliothèque nationale de France is permitted only to visitors who are at least 18 years old. Anyone who wants to look in the research library for reading material, must also prove that he has come really to research.

8. Stiftsbibliothek Admont (Admont, Austria)

The largest monastery library in the world, a small jewel of European late Baroque, combines art forms such as writings, sculptures and architecture. The library hall of the Austrian monastery is designed in the spirit of enlightenment. The seven ceiling frescoes show the various stages of human knowledge.

9. The George Peabody Library (Baltimore, USA)

If you're looking for a place to celebrate your wedding, the George Peabody Library in Baltimore, Maryland is not only popular with those who want to get married. No wonder with the high ceilings, the black and white marble floor and the richly decorated balustrades.

10. Trinity College Library (Dublin, Irland)

Memories of the Harry Potter films could also be awakened in this venerable Dublin library, which first opened in 1592 - even though none of the films were filmed here. The Trinity College Library is a popular tourist attraction: The Book of Kells, a unique medieval Irish book illumination, probably written in the ninth century, attracts many visitors to Dublin year after year.

Well, which one is your personal favorite? Leave me a comment below :)