The Top 3 Most Beautiful Libraries in the World
The concept of what we know today as a library dates back thousands of years. The first known library was established in the Middle East in the 7th Century and located in the current country of Iraq. It contained 30,000 tablets that were organized systematically.
Here are the top three libraries in the world:
1. The Library of Congress
The Library of Congress was established on April 24,1800 in Washington DC. It serves as a research library for members of Congress and currently contains over 171 million items. It also serves as an unofficial national library. It boasts a staff of about 3100 people.
The library houses a large rare book collections which includes treasures like a rough draft of the Declaration of Independence and a Gutenberg Bible (originating from the Saint Blaise Abbey, Black Forest—one of only three perfect vellum copies known to exist).
Official Website of the Library of Congress
2. The Vatican Library
The Vatican Apostolic Library as it is officially known, was established in 1475 in Vatican City, Rome. It is the official library of the Holy See. It is one of the oldest libraries in the world and contains well over 1.1 million printed items. The collection also includes 330,000 Greek, Roman, and papal coins and medals.
Every year about 6,000 new books are acquired. The library underwent restoration in 2007 and between 2007 and 2010, all of the 70,000 volumes in the library were tagged with electronic chips to prevent theft.
Official Website of the Vatican Library
3. The Abbey Library of Saint Gall
The Abbey Library is the oldest library in Switzerland. Founded by Saint Othmar, as The Abbey of Saint Gail in 747. The library was the only thing left standing in the Abbey after a fire in 937. The beautiful hall was designed by Peter Thumb somewhere between 1758 and 1767. The library currently houses 160,000 volumes which are mostly available for the public to use.
In 1983, the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization named the library a World Heritage site, calling it a “a perfect example of a great Carolingian monastery”.
Official Website of the Abbey Library
