In an era of ebooks and every piece of information just a click away, the idea of public libraries has faded. But still there are those, who love the smell of books and crave for a house where words in hard form reside. Here, we have listed out five best libraries that are must to visit places.
Found on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in Alexandria of Egypt, an evolutionary library (costing $220 million in its transformation process) was renewed after the original ancient building seemed “too old”. After the renovation, people thought that the library’s new look concealed any ancientness that it ever indicated. It involved 11 stories -four of which were underground- and the building was plotted by Snøhetta and started functioning in 2002. It was represented to mimic the lighthouse of Alexandria. The unique cylindrical design and Egyptian inscriptions called hieroglyphics are all ties to Egyptian culture.
The Library of Birmingham is located in the United Kingdom and was opened in 2013. Mecanoo, the Dutch Studio, created four rectangular spaces that were piled on one another in a staggered pattern, and the spaces created the terraces. The specified library is the largest public library in Europe, the site remains between a theater from the 1960s and 1930s building. To wrap to the area, Mecanoo created a filigree pattern of metal rings- a nod to the jewelry section- atop gold, silver, and glass facades.
The architecture of the National Library is on the Historic side. It is located in Prague of the Czech Republic and was established in the late 1700s. At first, this site was established for a boarding school for monks in the 13th century, but later it transformed into a magnificent library that represents History at its best. The old-world plot of the building, including plenty of its murals, gives a serious monumental taste.
The Stuttgart Library is found in Germany. Its creative cube-shape includes a gallery hall consisting of five stories in the building’s center. This model is surrounded by a mound of books. The library’s heart follows the design of the ancient pantheon, except the exterior pairs grey fair-faced concrete framing with a mix of frosted glass that creates the second façade. The room also includes an illumination from a glass roof.
This gorgeous Book Mountain is a library in the market square of the Netherlands. It was established in 2012 by stacking into a pyramid-shape. The shelves were made from recycled flowerpots- designed throughout the space. Plotted by MVRDV, a café is directed at the top of the formation, and the glass is displayed transparently so that the inner beauty of the books’ placement is broadcast on the exterior as well.
So, call your trip planner and start your savings without wasting any further minutes.