Some libraries are destinations in their own right, thanks to their grand halls, striking architecture, and incomparable collections that tell stories beyond the books on their shelves.
From historic European monasteries to futuristic spaces in Asia and the Americas, these 10 libraries offer plenty of reasons to step inside.
1. Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt
Alexandria’s ancient library was once among the most important centers of learning in the world. Its modern successor, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, is an homage to it and features a beautiful round building that looks out over the Mediterranean Sea.
Designed by Norwegian firm Snøhetta, the library combines a vast reading space with museums, galleries, a planetarium, and a manuscript restoration laboratory.
As of 2026, the library has a total capacity of 8 million volumes, with about half a million books available for open browsing and roughly 7.5 million stored in archives.
2. The Morgan Library and Museum, United States
New York’s Morgan Library and Museum offers a look into the private collection of financier J.P. Morgan. Its historic library contains a rich selection of bronze bookcases. Inside, you will also find originals by great authors such as Sir Walter Scott and Honoré de Balzac.
The institution also holds an extensive collection of European prints and drawings, including works by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Rembrandt.
The Morgan Library and Museum collection currently contains more than 350,000 objects, with over 330,000 records cataloged in its online system, CORSAIR.
3. Biblioteca Vasconcelos, Mexico
With bookshelves stacked at seemingly impossible angles, Biblioteca Vasconcelos feels more like an architectural maze than a traditional library.
Transparent walls and suspended balconies add to the effect, while a whale skeleton by Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco hangs above the central hall.
Architects Alberto Kalach and Juan Palomar designed the building, which has earned its nickname as Mexico’s mega-library.
As of writing, Biblioteca Vasconcelos holds around 600,000 physical books and items, including multimedia, Braille, and music collections, with architectural capacity designed to expand up to 2 million volumes.
4. Admont Abbey Library, Austria
Admont Abbey Library is famous for its extensive Baroque style interior. The white and gold library has jaw-dropping frescoed ceilings by Bartolomeo Altomonte and sculptures by Joseph Stammel.
5. Tama Art University’s Hachioji Library, Japan
At Tama Art University’s Hachioji campus, a series of concrete arches gives the library its distinctive appearance.
Designed by Toyo Ito & Associates and completed in 2007, the building follows the natural slope of the site. Glass walls and minimalist furnishings keep the interior open, allowing the structure itself to shape the reading experience.
Currently, Hachioji Library houses approximately 124,000 books (about 77,000 Japanese books and 47,000 foreign books) alongside roughly 1,500 periodicals.
6. Strahov Monastery Library, Prague
Prague’s Strahov Monastery Library is a destination for anyone interested in historic interiors. Its Theological Hall and Philosophical Hall are decorated with detailed frescoes, ornate furnishings, and rows of historic books.
Established in 1679, the library also preserves thousands of prints dating from the 16th to 18th centuries.
The Strahov Monastery Library collection consists of approximately 200,000 volumes, with estimates around 260,000 to 300,000 total works.
7. Tianjin Binhai Library, China
A giant spherical auditorium sits at the centre of Tianjin Binhai Library, earning the building its nickname, “The Eye.”
Designed by Dutch firm MVRDV, the five-level space is surrounded by sweeping terraces and curved shelves. The design gives the impression of books filling the building from floor to ceiling, although some of the upper shelves feature printed book-spine images.
As of writing, the Tianjin Binhai Library has a maximum architectural capacity of 1.2 million books, though its actual physical collection is smaller.
8. Trinity College Dublin’s Old Library, Ireland
The Long Room is the centerpiece of Trinity College Dublin’s Old Library, a 200-foot hall lined with oak bookcases and marble busts of writers and philosophers.
The building dates to the early 18th century and houses 200,000 of the library’s oldest books.
Among its treasured holdings are the Book of Kells, the Book of Durrow, and the Brian Boru harp, one of only three surviving medieval Gaelic harps.
9. Stuttgart City Library, Germany
Stuttgart City Library has a different concept. The minimalist establishment opened in 2011 and has a large pyramid-shaped space where there are stairs throughout.
The open layout and restrained aesthetic make the building a standout example of contemporary library architecture.
As of 2026, the Stuttgart City Library (or Stadtbibliothek Stuttgart) has over half a million print and media items in the main building on Mailänder Platz. The whole library system within the city now has between 1.1 and 2 million media items. This includes the 18 district libraries, mobile libraries and e-library.
10. Stockholm Public Library, Sweden
A cylindrical central hall makes Stockholm Public Library instantly recognizable. Designed by architect Gunnar Asplund and opened in 1928, it is considered an important example of Nordic Classicism.
The library also introduced a new approach to public reading in Sweden by allowing visitors to browse open shelves without needing assistance from staff.
The Stockholm Public Library system (or Stockholms stadsbibliotek) and its 40 branches currently hold over 1.5 million books and more than 2 million total items, with 4.4 million items across the entire municipal network.
The main flagship building itself contains approximately 400,000 books.
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