The Long Room view from Gallery par Gillian WhelanThe Library of Trinity College Dublin
Even if you're not a bookworm, you will be amazed at the magnificence of these 10 libraries from around the world. Click and drag on the following Street Views to join us on a virtual tour to see that there's more to these buildings than just reading...
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George Peabody Library, Baltimore
The five-tier George Peabody Library is considered so beautiful that sometimes weddings are held within its neo-Greco atrium. It was also funded by American financier and philanthropist George Peabody.
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Clementinum, Prague
The baroque Clementinum Library was built by Jesuits in 1622. The legend goes that when construction began they only had one book, but by the time they finished, they had managed to collect 20,000.
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The Library of Birmingham
The exterior of the Library of Birmingham, completed in 2013, is covered with a pattern of 5,357 overlapping rings as a homage to the city's jewelry quarter. It was officially opened by the Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai.
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Royal Portuguese Reading Room, Rio de Janeiro
Holding the largest collection of Portuguese literature outside of Portugal, the Royal Portuguese Reading Room was founded by a group of 43 Portuguese immigrants and political refugees to promote their culture in Brazil.
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New York Public Library, New York
Stretching for two city blocks, you might recognize the New York Public Library from numerous Hollywood movies. It was the setting of the post-apocalyptic Day After Tomorrow (2004) and the backdrop to Carrie Bradshaw's almost-wedding in Sex and the City (2008).
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Trinity College Old Library, Dublin
Dublin's Trinity College Old Library is 200 feet long with barrel vaulted ceilings and marble busts of famous authors lining its walkway. Its most famous volume is the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament.
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Stuttgart City Library, Stuttgart
The brilliant white, five-story reading room of the Stuttgart City library is shaped like an upside-down pyramid. The roof panels emit blue light at night and a small section of the collection is available 24-hours in its "Library for Insomniacs."
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Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria
The reading room of Alexandria's public library is designed to tilt towards the sea like a sundial. Its gray granite walls are decorated with letters and characters from over a hundred different languages.
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Marciana Library, Venice
The Renaissance Marciana Library holds one of the greatest classical text collections in the world. Inside, as well as over 750,000 books, you can find artworks by Venetian masters such as Titian and Tintoretto adorning the walls.
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Beitou Branch of the Taipei Public Library, Taiwan
Taiwan's eco-friendly library does its bit for bookworms as well as the environment by running with water reclamation, solar panels, and natural ventilation to reduce the overall impact of the built-up environment on nature. It also holds over 20,000 books in English and Chinese.
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