When you go on a trip, you probably have a list of things you want to see or do. Food to try, shops to browse, landmarks to tick off, events to catch. If you were to look at my list, though, you’d find something a little different: libraries.
What began as a stumbled-upon interest, rooted in a teenage love of books, has over the years grown into a full-blown obsession. One that has led me to remarkable histories, beautiful buildings, inspiring people and, of course, beautiful books.
So if you, too, are drawn to wrought-iron details winding up marble staircases, 16th- and 17th-century globes, soft light casting a warm glow over stuccoed ceilings; to gold inlays gleaming beside time-worn desks, hand-crafted artefacts preserved behind glass, ladders climbing towards hidden galleries, the scent of bibliosmia and row upon row of hand-tooled tomes, then you might want to consider adding libraries to your travel to-do list next time you visit a new place.
In this article I am going to lead you through my top 3 European Libraries – bear in mind there are many more out there and my list is still being ticked off. In this list the suggestions cover both, Libraries that tick the aesthetic box and those that tick the box for my fellow bibliophiles interested in rare books and special collections.
(NOTE: remember to check that the Library you are going to see is open before you make the effort to go to it!)
Bibliotheque Mazarine
Paris
23 Quai de Conti, 75006 Paris, France
https://www.bibliotheque-mazarine.fr/fr/
Walk over the Pont des Arts from the Musee du Louvre and you will find the Bibliotheque Mazarine.
This Library is the oldest public Library in France, and definitely one of the hidden gems of Paris. Walk up the spiral marble stairs to the main desk and simply ask to view the Library, again ensure the Library is open to visitors on the day you are planning to go and be aware it is a working Library used by academics. Formal guided tours and special access for academics or interested parties are available by pre-booking.
The Bibliotheque Mazarine has been open to scholars since 1643 and has a rich history as the oldest public Library in France. Even if you have no interest in special collections, you will be able to appreciate its historical and cultural importance.
Though begun as a private collection by Cardinal Mazarin, the Library was joined to the College des Quatre-Nations to ensure its continuity, (an institution which he founded before his death) and while the College did not survive the Revolution, the Library did.
The Library’s Reading Room, located in the main gallery and open to the public, showcases the unique decor of the 17th Century and is as much a place of beauty as it is a place of academic importance and study.
Strahovsky knihovna
Prague
Strahovske nadvori 1/132, 118 00 Praha 1-Strahov, Czechia
https://www.strahovskyklaster.cz/en
High on the hills of Prague, at the top of the Strahov Abbey Gardens you will find the Strahov Monastery belonging to the Premonstratensian Order and within its walls the Strahovsky knihovna. Open to the public since the first quarter of the 20th Century, this is an historic site paying homage to Art as well as books and religion.
Within you will find not one, not two, but three halls that comprise the monastery’s library. The oldest of which has existed since the 12th Century, though its exact beginnings are uncertain. Perhaps less grand than the Klementinum, (the Czech National Library, it can be found just across the Vltava) the Strahov Monastery has the oldest record in Europe of astrological events and is still a hugely important and a very beautiful site.
Although you cannot walk the galleries of the Library (a huge disappointment, but an understandable boundary necessary for conservation) you can appreciate the sheer mass of volumes which the Monastery holds and the beauty of its halls. Lohel’s Wing, named after Abbot Lohel who built the first library hall, is the oldest part of the Library. There are three halls in total: Lohel’s Wing, the Theological Hall and the Philosophical Hall. All separate and added due to continued additions being made to the monastery’s collection.
As well as the books and the art, you will also see a collection of globes. These globes depict both the Earth and astrological movements and are probably the main element that has stuck in your mind if you recognised pictures of the Theological Hall from Pinterest or Instagram.
Strahov Monastery and the Strahovsky knihovna is open to the public seven days a week, but you must buy tickets in advance via their website and be aware that it is a popular attraction.
Fellows’ Library
London
College St, Winchester SO23 9NA, UK
Around the back of Winchester Cathedral, through the arch of the city’s old walls you will pass masters gliding past on their bikes and students running to their houses with books under their arms. Past P.G Wells bookshop you will find the College’s main entrance Porter’s Lodge.
Old, beautiful and still practising the profession that it was built for – Winchester College is a historic establishment and its Libraries are a reflection of this.
The Libraries are occasionally open to the public for guided tours and to fellows of the school, scholars and academics for research. It holds over 10,000 volumes that have been donated, collected or bequeathed to the College since its founding in the 15th Century, including exceptionally rare volumes and historically important items valued as much for their provenance as for their contents.
So I hope you enjoy exploring these Libraries and their collections. If you visit them let me know! And if you want to get more suggestions then get in touch.
Life Lovers Magazine® 