For anyone who loves books, history, or beautiful buildings, these libraries are truly special. Each one is located inside a UNESCO World Heritage Site and shows how people protected and shared knowledge for hundreds of years.
1. Joanina Library, University of Coimbra, Portugal
Located on a hilltop in the University of Coimbra, this Baroque library is full of rare old books, gold details, painted ceilings, and wooden shelves made from Brazilian timber. It holds around 60,000 historic books from the 16th and 17th centuries.
2. Abbey Library, Abbey of St. Gall, Switzerland
Inside an 8th-century monastery, this is one of the oldest libraries in Europe. Its Rococo-style hall is filled with 170,000 precious items, including beautifully decorated medieval manuscripts.
3. Palafoxiana Library, Historic Centre of Puebla, Mexico
This is known as the first public library in the Americas. It was created in 1646 with a donation of 5,000 books. Today it holds 45,000 volumes, including old scientific works and books printed in Indigenous languages.
4. Strahov Monastery Library, Prague, Czech Republic
Located in Prague’s historic centre, this library has two grand halls — one Baroque and one from the late 1700s. It contains over 200,000 books, including medieval works and scientific texts.
Visitors cannot walk inside the halls to protect the interiors, but you can view them from the entrance and explore the galleries nearby.
5. Biblioteca Laurenziana, Florence, Italy
Designed by Michelangelo, this library shows the beauty of Renaissance architecture. It was built for the Medici family’s collection of ancient manuscripts.
Instead of heavy decoration, the library uses clean stone designs to highlight its role as a serious study space. Only small groups can visit at a time.
6. Library of the Monastery of El Escorial, Spain
Part of a large royal monastery near Madrid, this library was created in the 16th century by King Philip II.
The long hall has a curved ceiling with colourful frescoes and holds 40,000 rare works, including Greek, Arabic, and early scientific manuscripts.
7. Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, South Korea
This unique library is not for reading but for preservation. It stores the Tripitaka Koreana, over 80,000 wooden blocks carved with Buddhist scriptures from the 13th century.
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