A library can be a second home for a bibliophile.
They come in all shapes, sizes, and levels of embellishment. The nearly 300-year-old State Hall in Vienna, Austria, boasts carved wooden galleries, baroque-style statues, and frescos, while Taipei's Beitou Branch resembles a treehouse more than a shelter for books.
We scoured the internet and found 20 of the most beautiful libraries around the world.
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The New York Public Library is an architectural landmark, where grand, marble lion statues guard more than 50 million books inside. It serves 18 million patrons a year.
Year Established: 1911
Architect: Carrère and Hastings
Source: New York Public Library
It's hard to keep your eyes glued to the page in The Austrian National Library's baroque-style State Hall, where carved wooden galleries and frescos captivate.
Year Established: 1726
Architect: Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach
Source: Österreichische Nationalbibliothek and Vienna Unwrapped
Rio de Janeiro's Royal Portuguese Reading Room houses the largest collection of Portuguese works outside of Portugal. The dazzling neo-Gothic style was popular at the time of construction.
Year Established: 1887
Architect: Rafael da Silva e Castro
Source: Real Gabinete Português de Leitura
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