--- title: The 20 Most Beautiful Libraries in the World description: Travel + Leisure has catalogued cutting-edge and historic libraries, from Australia to Vienna canonical: https://time.com/3047538/most-beautiful-libraries/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-07-28T17:23:04.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:55:43.795Z og:title: These Are the 20 Most Beautiful Libraries in the World og:description: From Baltimore to Rio de Janeiro, these buildings offer more than just good books og:url: https://time.com/3047538/most-beautiful-libraries/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbabdf87f4b923992/69869d7355a859cc18a81f67/george-peabody-library.jpg?branch=production&width=640&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 640 og:image:height: 360 og:image:alt: george peabody library og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: These Are the 20 Most Beautiful Libraries in the World twitter:description: From Baltimore to Rio de Janeiro, these buildings offer more than just good books twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbabdf87f4b923992/69869d7355a859cc18a81f67/george-peabody-library.jpg?branch=production&width=640&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The 20 Most Beautiful Libraries in the World > Sponsored content. 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It is a free newsletter available at time.com/newsletters. by [Diane Selkirk / Travel + Leisure](https://time.com/author/travel-leisure/) ## Diane Selkirk / Travel + Leisure Jul 28, 2014 5:23 PM UTC  George Peabody Library, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore George Peabody Library, Johns Hopkins University, BaltimoreJohns Hopkins University by [Diane Selkirk / Travel + Leisure](https://time.com/author/travel-leisure/) ## Diane Selkirk / Travel + Leisure Jul 28, 2014 5:23 PM UTC ## George Peabody Library, _Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore_ The [Peabody Stack Room](http://guides.library.jhu.edu/content.php?pid=205178&sid=1712833)’s five-tier soaring atrium has wrought-iron balconies and columns so graceful that Nathaniel H. Morison, its first provost, called it a “cathedral of books.” It’s one of [America’s most beautiful college libraries](http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-most-beautiful-college-libraries/14), with a setting so gorgeous that weddings and special events are often held here. Bibliophiles come not only for the design but to browse 18th- and 19th-century volumes of archaeology as well as British and American history and literature. ## The Royal Library, _Copenhagen, Denmark_ Known as the Black Diamond, this neo-Modernist building was built in 1999 as an addition to [the Royal Library](http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-guide/copenhagen/activities/royal-library)’s original complex. Its striking steel, glass, and black granite structure contains a concert hall, a popular café, and exhibition spaces. The Black Diamond treats visitors to spectacular harbor views and a ceiling fresco by one of Denmark’s most famous artists, Per Kirkeby. [Guided tours](http://www.kb.dk/en/kb/aabningstider/#diamant) are available on Saturdays. ## Clementinum, _Prague_ The baroque [Library Hall](http://www.klementinum.com/index.php?lang=2), with its rare gilded globes and spectacular frescoes depicting science and art, is just one building in the vast Clementinum complex. Legend says the Jesuits had only one book when they started building the library in 1622; when they were done, the collection had swelled to 20,000 volumes. Labels on the bookshelves are original to the library’s opening, as are volumes with “whitened backs and red marks,” markers left by the Jesuits. Tours run daily. ## Royal Portuguese Reading Room, _Rio de Janeiro_ A group of far-from-home Portuguese immigrants banded together to create a Portuguese library in 1837, although construction on the [Real Gabinete Português de Leitura](http://www.realgabinete.com.br/) didn’t get going until 1880\. The neo-Manueline building’s limestone façade showcases Portuguese explorers like Prince Henry the Navigator, Vasco da Gama, and Pedro Álvares Cabral in sculpture. The cathedral-like reading room has a stained-glass dome and wooden galleries. Its ornate bookshelves hold the largest collection of Portuguese literature outside of the motherland. Open Monday to Friday. ## Library of Congress, _Washington, D.C._ When the original library burned down in 1814, Thomas Jefferson seeded a new one with his own much broader collection of books. Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom, stands guard in mosaic form above the main reading room, and scrolls, books, and torches pop up throughout the [Library of Congress](http://www.loc.gov/). Highlights include the main reading room, the Gutenberg Bible (one of 42 left in the world), and free classical concerts. Open Monday to Saturday. [**READ THE FULL LIST HERE**](http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/most-beautiful-libraries-in-the-world/7) _More from Travel + Leisure:_ * [America’s Most Beautiful College Libraries ](http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/americas-most-beautiful-college-libraries) * [The World’s Most Scenic Walks ](http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/worlds-most-scenic-walks) * [25 Ideas for Your Best Summer Ever ](http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/25-ideas-for-your-best-summer-ever) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3047538/most-beautiful-libraries/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3047538/most-beautiful-libraries/"},"headline":"The 20 Most Beautiful Libraries in the World","datePublished":"2014-07-28T17:23:04.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:55:43.795Z","description":"Travel + Leisure has catalogued cutting-edge and historic libraries, from Australia to Vienna","url":"https://time.com/3047538/most-beautiful-libraries/","keywords":["Living","Travel","Culture"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbabdf87f4b923992/69869d7355a859cc18a81f67/george-peabody-library.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Diane Selkirk / Travel + Leisure"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbabdf87f4b923992/69869d7355a859cc18a81f67/george-peabody-library.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"george peabody library","caption":"George Peabody Library, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore","creditText":"Johns Hopkins University","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3047538/most-beautiful-libraries/","name":"The 20 Most Beautiful Libraries in the World"}}]}] ```