Library of Birmingham, UK

Christian Richters - With the new Library of Birmingham opening on 3 September 2013, what better time to celebrate the world’s best book-lending collections? From awe-inspiring historic rococo architecture to striking modern-day designs, we reveal 12 of the world’s best libraries worth visiting on your travels. Library…


 Raphael Labbe/Flickr - Dating back to the 8th century, this Unesco World Heritage Site is one of the oldest libraries on the planet and was founded by Saint Othmar, the first abbot at this Benedictine monastery. Considered one of the most important monastic libraries in the world, it holds around 160,000 volumes – of…

 Ethan Kan/Flickr - Denmark’s capital has more than its fair share of fine buildings, but perhaps the most impressive of them all is the modern wing of the Royal Library, also known as the Black Diamond. The black marble and glass exterior for which it is named is handsome enough, but it is the stunning interior, with an…

Melanzane1013/Flickr - Famous for its appearance in the 1984 action-comedy Ghostbusters, the Big Apple’s library is also one of the city’s most highly regarded Beaux Arts buildings – and the third-largest library in the world. Guarded by two lions named Patience and Fortitude, the Stephen A Schwartzman building occupies…