Lol, this isn’t ancient. All of this is dates from the eighteenth or nineteenth century, cause its barock, rococo or even classicism. But yes, I love it too, THEY really knew how to build.
back when they built these libraries, the style was already ancient. They mostly copied the Roman architecture that was 2 thousand years old by then. The question is why can't we keep copying the romans?
If you give any of these projects to a modern architect, they would probably not even know how to build them, but they would at the same time ask you a billion dollars to do so, and give you some generic boring modern glass-metal boxy structure and calling it a Cathedral or Library! LOL Modernism and wokeism; a plight on human creativity, beauty, and imagination - just repulsive! God (Jesus) Bless! :)
This was beautiful, I think libraries are humanity's greatest treasure. They have a magical atmosphere about them. I visited the Biblioteca Joanina as a kid and it made a lasting impression on me. I love how here in Portugal bats make the best librarians xD
Regarding the bats, although it is commonly said that they protect the books from insects, that's not quite true...it's somewhat of a whit lie. Insects can affect books in many stages of their lives, including the larvae stage. The bats mainly act when insects get their wings and fly about. And then bats themselves are a risk for the preservation of the books because of their poop (amongst other things).
Luckily, there are definitely more amazing libraries in the world than I showcased here, but I thought 10 was about right for one video. Anyway, I hope you found this interesting! Which was your favorite?
hey i love your channel and im sorry can you do a video on the proposed McMillan Plan for Washington dc? and my favorite is the Biblioteca Joanina and the Admont Abey Library
This is what is missing from the generation of those that grew up with the internet. There is a majesty that comes from books, especially in large numbers and curated by those that realize how special the collections are. The smell of old books and upon actual observation of them in mass is to me, more fulfilling than any Google search could be. Thanks.
I think the reason many don´t go to libuarys is probually becouse there are some libuarys out there trying to be "modern" but actually look ugly. I mean having the uglyest metal shelf kombined with ugly everything does not make kids or even anyone want to read. It even hurts more if the builing itself is pretty and amazing and than switching to the actual libuary makes the libuary a dissapointment where you don´t want to do anything in it. Of course, there are pretty cozy and nice modern liburarys out there, but that is verry verry rare.
I visited the Admont Libary in person, and it was in a small town in the middle of the Austrian Alps, and it was absolutely wonderful to visit. A must visit if you are going to the Lakes Region of Austria or Salzburg.
I cannot help mysef from being extremely proud of the fact that 3 out of the 10 you chose were Portuguese. The Rio de Janeiro, Coimbra and Mafra's Libraries have always been on my radar when I tavelled abroad (I am, of course, Portuguese) when comparing other Libraries with those sponsered by my country's heritage. I am sure that there are other great Libraries across the world, but I can't help how proud I feel about your choices.
@@EnchantedConsumerBeing Who is foreign to whom? Coimbra and Mafra are both in continental Portugal and Rio de Janeiro was actually the capital of the Portuguese empire when the referred library was built (as a consequente of the napoleonic invasions of Portugal, the whole court moved to Brazil and Rio de Janeiro was named the capital of the Portuguese territoritories). The first emperor of Brazil, Pedro I, who claimed the independence of Brazil was actually the son of the Portuguese King and Queen. So, please check your History and Geography knowledge before making your comnents.
@GL Fer Please tell me your nationality, so that I can answer your pittiful arguments in ernest. What ranks are you mentioning? The international safety index? The infant mortatility rank? Yes.... Portugal has several problems to overcome. But WE were under a dictatorship until 1974.... and our revolution towards democracy involved very few, if any, casualties. Which country can hold that as a flag? Again, your knowledge of Portugal's History is evidently biased and ignorant. The TRUTH is not what you say it is just because you write it in capital letters. I own my country's heritage, both for the good and the bad. Do you? Portugal is one of the oldest nation states in Europe, and the one state with the oldest withstanding borders in Europe. Portugal is European just for the sake of its geographical and historical importance. And that's undeniable. Please, and again, check your Geography and History knowledge before makimg comments on a reality which you are clearly unware of.
@GL Fer Oh well.... Against all odds, and your personal and invaluabke opinion (since it is unfounded), Portugal became a popular destination for digital nomads and a haven for other foreign people. Again, you fail to tell me what your nationality is. Your comnents, lack of historical and geographical knowledge, urge me to tell you that you are part of the GARBAGE that polutes social media. I will not continue to answer any of your comnents, bacause you are nor worthy of my intelectual effiort to educate you..... Something that your country of origin (whatever it may be) has failed to do.
And it won't happen , given the fact all the civilization responsible for the construction of those magnificent buildings has been erased. Baroque, roccocco, roman style, greco - roman architecture, etc, etc.... these are just codenames to hide a extremely advanced worldwide unified civilization that existed in our very near past and that built wonders all over the planet. All that our controllers want is to keep control. That is why everything is now electronically recorded. It's much more easier to erase and pervert than buildings and actual books. A single E.M. impulse and booom ! Here they come with a complete new false history. They've been continuously doing it. Why do you think there were so many world fairs and world expo's in the late 18th and 19th century??? That was the perfect excuse to present those embarrassing constructions as beeing "temporary" one-event buildings and to destroy them later. Why would they drop test bombs in the middle of the deserts, just where there happens to be such ancient sites before??? Our "history" is just a joke. Those "libraries" were all repurposed existing buildings, and that is the only reason why they kept them standing. Also check all the so called "Great Fires" that happen in ALL cities over the world almost at the same period. Check the number of casualties and compare it to the actual number of buildings destroyed....Check all the major cities allegedly raised between 15th and 19th century and compare their sizes with the actual population census of the time. Dig into Orphan Trains...One caution though: take a seat first. I tell you, this place is nothing we are told it is.
Beautiful! I would love to have seen the Bodleian library in Oxford, dating, in parts, back to the Fifteenth Century, and consequently, a wonderful and more intimate foil to these splendid Baroque spaces.
I so enjoyed this video - please consider another library chapter (haha!) And the detail about bats guarding the books was fascinating! The Portuguese libraries were my favorite . Thanks for this wonderful post and count me as a new subscriber.
The detail regarding the bats, although it is what the library officially states, it lacks truth. There are bats in the library and they do eat some of the flying insects, but they fail to eat the insects in the larvae state and also hurt the preservation of the books by pooping in the library (among other things).
Que surpresa encontrar o velho real gabinete português de leitura nesta lista! Um de nossos imperadores passava muitas horas estudando neste local. No rio de Janeiro ainda tem a maior biblioteca da américa latina, a FUNDAÇÃO BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL.
peabody's library is absolutely stunning. I went to school in baltimore and hadn't realized this was literally a few blocks away from me. Took my breath away when i finally saw it in person!
@@slouberiee well the way how we design form follows architecture isn't the same way how the architect who said this famous line called form follows function does, but if you see his architecture, it is beautiful and has that ornament and classical look which i love. I personally hate that architects dont see this and we have forgotten to create beautiful architecture.
I was in Lisbon last year and could not get into the library. I lived in Paris for over 30 years and never went into the Biblioteque National ! At the time you needed a written reason, it wasn't public although the public paid for it ! Fab video !
I have just discovered your channel and I am very glad of doing so. The beautiful presentation bis enhanced by the magnificent soundtrack. Thank you for showing those wonderful Portuguese libraries; I believe that most of us tend to ignore those countries that have not played a leading role in European history as we are (and rightly so) overwhelmed by the colossal achievements of Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, and the Germanic nations (Germany and Austria) between 1500 and 1900.
When I was younger I used to hate reading but now as an adult I absolutely love books and getting lost in the strokes. These library absolutely magnificent!
The Peabody library is arguable one of the most beautiful single rooms in the whole country, and definitely holds up on a world stage. It’s absolutely breathtaking and usually photos don’t show the staircases in it which are all glorious too
I recently visited the Biblioteca Joanina and Mafra Palace Library’s in Portugal, they are beautiful and impressive. The guide mentioned the use of bats to control insects in the past but it’s no longer current practice. Another beautiful library is at Melk located outside Vienna
I clicked on the video specifically hoping that Wiblingen was going to be mentioned and I was not disappointed. One of the most beautiful places I have ever been to.
I must add the Biblioteca Malatestiana in Cesena (Italy). It's not the biggest, not the most magnificent, but this is the oldest public library still in its original state, with 3000 volumes specifically (hand) copied for its opening in 1452. Serving the public for 570 years!
@@familyvids1 Perhaps, what may have gone better in America, is greater engagement of the wealthy class by funding beautiful works of national treasure (architecturally-speaking), as private endeavors, and not as tax write-offs. I’m not denigrating the level of charity or philanthropy in the USA, but the involvement of private wealthy/influential individuals in the creation of a collective work of art for the people to enjoy and to see as uniquely theirs. Nothing like that has happened here in America, with the exceptions of parks (yay, trees and grass) or some banal modern steel/glass feature you have to pay to even walk on, in at least 50-60 years.
@@sergpie from my experience a lot of american museums at the turn of the century were paid for and supported by the wealthy. Western Union the shitty money transfer agency has paid a gorgeous museum in Cleveland, so is the NY Met Museum, and the one in Chicago and pretty much all north east cities. if anything that tradition as you correctly point out has died out in the recent decades. but then again the whole liberal mindset of the 60's pushed everything away from the 'classical' idea of beauty and that in my opinion started the trend towards these ugly steel and glass buildings. But this is a problem with the general public who eat out of plastic bags and consume colored sugary water as their pass time. Why would bezos invest in a classical library when 99% of the public would probably admire a football made of strawberry cake much more?
The burning of the ancient library in Alexandria had to be one of our biggest losses in history. Thank goodness we can now preserve info online safe from fire.
I've been inside the Wiblingen Abbey Library. While it is astoundingly beautiful, a fun fact to note is that the columns and the balustrade aren't made from real marble, as they often weren't in churches, abbeys or other architecture of the time. Marble was expensive, so the architects went with a more artistic approach; wooden elements would be painted in such a way as to give the Illusion of marble. Even up close, it is nearly impossible to tell without touching the columns. And the statues and frescos are very much as beautiful as described and show here.
@@riccardodececco4404 understandable, as someone who paints minis i can attest to depth details like the ones i saw in that room are expertly made and requires a lot of time to make in that scale. visited this specific room for a wedding ceremony in july, were we got a bit of its history told including the wood tid bit. but as german are my third language i did not get all the details. also my focus was directed more at the friends waiting to be bound in holy marriage.
Thank you, I am loving this video you made 2 years after you were kind enough to post it. Who says kindness is such that it is eternal indeed and reaches through time and space Friends !
8:43 was there this summer, a couple of friends got married there. the most beautiful room i have ever entered. we were told most of it actually are wood and its just been covered with different materials to look like stone. i wish i could share pictures from the ceremony there.
It would be interesting to know about how these beautiful libraries are used. Of course, their collections don’t circulate but how do scholars access them? Are most of the collections catalogued?
Speaking from experience with the Strahov Library in Prague, which is 300 years old (or at least the historical part of it) and contains books from the 9th century onwards... Generally you wont be allowed to read the books themselves, but you will be given a scanned copy of it. If it has not been scanned yet, well tough luck, you can request it, but it takes months for the library to get it done. But most of the ones, that are commonly requsted, are already available. Think of it as more of an archive, despite the "library" in the name.
(My experience is from the Bibliotheque nationale de France, including using the Richelieu building we saw here) First you apply for a reader card; this can often be done online. In the past, you used to have a letter of recommendation, but probably not anymore, at least in the bigger libraries. Second, you usually have to reserve a seat, and this can often be done online. Then you order books, documents, and microfilms that you want to see. When you actually go to the library, you show your card, go to your seat, and they bring you the items you ordered. As Lidoot said, if an e-copy or microfilm is available, they may ask that you look at it first. But after that, they are often quite receptive to giving you the actual, centuries-old book if there is something you can't see well enough. That's almost always the case with the microfilms and black-and-white e-copies. I generally need to see the colors of ink, because I work with music scores that have been marked up for performance. Before taking pictures, ask for permission. If you want to look at a book, be sure to ask for pillows and a serpent. The "pillows" are rolls of fabric to put under the edges so that the book doesn't have to open all the way and crack the spine. The serpent is a little velvet-covered chain or sandbag that holds the pages open so you don't have to touch the pages while you read. Visiting a historical library is a wonderful adventure, because you never know what you will find, and whatever it is, you are often the first person to caress a particular page since the original owner.
@@beverlywilcox4349 Thank you for this reply. It’s great that these wonderful treasures are more than gloriously elaborate buildings to be awed over. The fact that the materials are accessible by scholars suggests that the collections are catalogued. I wonder if the catalogues are available online or if researchers have other resources they use to find out what is available in which library. I’m a retired college librarian and familiar with using WorldCat for locating needed materials in libraries worldwide, but I don’t know if libraries such as shown here are included on WorldCat.
@@Dogsnark As to "catalogued," they are making great strides. When I was there in 2012 and 2013, to find out if they had a music manuscript, you had to check the online catalogue, then the card file for the Music Department, then the card file for the Paris Conservatoire, then schmooze with the on-duty librarian, and even then you couldn't be sure. But that was fine by me because it made it possible to find goodies that qualify as "discoveries."
@@Dogsnark If your college has a history department they should be able to help you find online catalogues/indexes of manuscripts from abbey libraries etc. I've done one year of a bachelor's history study in a Dutch university and we had to do a lot of work with these types of manuscript indexes. Afraid I can't help you myself though cause I've completely forgotten how the stuff works and uni libraries probably have subscriptions to these indexes which I can't access anymore.
These libraries are magnificent.🤩👑 Today buildings are slabs of concrete and glass, so ugly. I'm impressed to learn that several of the libraries mentioned are in Portugal 🇵🇹 Proud of my heritage.
The Biblioteca Palafoxiana is a library in Puebla City's historic centre, in the Mexican state of Puebla. Founded in 1646, it is recognized by the UNESCO for being the first and oldest public library in the Americas.
Protestants: "These catholics are way too vain and focused on temporal stuff, we should leave them and save the gold fo-" Catholic Monks: *_"EPIC LIBRARRRYYYYYYY!!!"_*
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Bro, look at all these baroque libraries and other building from protestant nations
You probably didn't understand Protestantism. Protestantism has nothing to do with liberalism, secularism and running after the zeitgeist. But with the protest at the unbiblical, anti-Christian, pagan, Babylonian, satanic Catholic Church and its Catholic religion and a return to the Bible the word of GOD, JESUS CHRIST and the true biblical Gospel.
Imagine if all the libraries that was burnt, destroyed and forgot in the name of religions still existed today? Its kinda sad to know the sheer amount of knowledge that was lost...
Great choices. If the list was longer, I'd recommend the Royal library at San Lorenzo (near Madrid). Similar to some of the Hapsburg styles shown here but every book is reversed so the spine faces the back of the shelf and the page edges are gilt - row after row of gleaming gold. Not sure how you go about finding a book though since there are no titles showing.
Thank you very much for this beautiful and amazing video. You have incredibly beautiful voice and it is such a joy to watch with it this ancient historical beauty. Wish you the best and many creative ideas for another masterpieces.🤗❤️
Speaking of Austrian libraries -- the founder of Austrian Economics, Carl Menger, had one of the greatest personal libraries probably in history. It contained over 20,000 volumes and was in his home. He spent much of his time caring for it. It is now mostly located in a university in Japan, sadly contained mostly to storage containers. Economist scholars over the last sixty years have spent a lot of time deciphering his margin notes scattered throughout the volumes to get a sense of how he arrived at his innovative thought.
They are all (1X being my least favorite yet still appreciated) lovely, but X is beyond gorgeous. In such a beautiful and happy interior. I can imagine reading nothing but uplifting and soul purifying literature. Thank you.🙂
I would like to have seen the library of El Escorial added to this list. It is a marvelously impressive site where all the books' gilded pages face outwards and the spines are against the back of the shelves. There is complex catalog system indicating where a desired book can be located, but my concern was always what would happen if one book was erroneously replaced in the wrong location.
Another beautiful historic library is the Bodleian Library (in particular the Old Bodleian Library) that is part of Oxford university. It is one of the oldest libraries in Europe and stunning to look at.
Insanely beautiful interiors and exteriors. This was a great video and I hope you make more on that matter. The comments here suggest that there is great potential for a part 2. Since everyone talks about such buildings that were left out, I will do the same. I think you should check the ex-national library building in Athens, Greece. It is a beautiful neo-classical structure that looks like an ancient Greek temple. It may not have the scale of most of your examples here but it is still impressive.
GREAT POST!!! BEAUTIFUL KNOWLEDGE & WISDOM ENVELOPED IN EXQUISITE ARCHITECTURE!!!, INTERIOR DESIGN, BUSTS & STATUARIES! 😍 GORGEOUS!! 💯 💖💥💫💜💖💥💫💥🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳 HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 😊
Totally beautiful libraries I don't know if I would be more interested in the art work and architecture if I was researching in one of these libraries I think I would get distracted easily
Nice video, as all of your videos. Just a small comment. The UNESCO WHS Palace/Convent of Mafra is located about 40km/24mi northnorthwest of Lisbon's city centre in the city of Mafra and definitely worth a visit. 🙂
7:56 I am from Peabody, Massachusetts, where George Peabody was born. He also founded the smaller Peabody Institute Library in Peabody. Cool to see someone mentioned who was born within a mile of me.
you forgot to mention for the trinity college that it also houses the famous book of kells, when I visited the college a few years ago it was beautiful and looked so well preserved for its age
The Book of Kells is no longer in the Long Room, as you know. They built a whole new building to present it and charge you fiercely to get in. However, the exhibition around it is quite educational. I remember when they kept it in a case under glass in the Long Room and they turned a new page every day, so you could return every day to see a new page. The fee was just the price for seeing the library, which in the 1970s was 60 pence or so. There were no uniformed guards or anything, the book was just there under it glass pane.
I can't speak for the others on the list, but I've lived in Baltimore my whole life and have been to the Peabody Library many times. It's non circulating, and visitor access is limited to the ground floor, but you can easily call and request access to the other floors for research purposes. It was founded for the express purpose of making knowledge freely available to anyone who wants to seek it out, and they respect that original intent to this day.
Ive always loved ancient architecture. The fact that their hundreds of years old, massive, and really detailed makes it feel dreamy
Lol, this isn’t ancient. All of this is dates from the eighteenth or nineteenth century, cause its barock, rococo or even classicism. But yes, I love it too, THEY really knew how to build.
back when they built these libraries, the style was already ancient. They mostly copied the Roman architecture that was 2 thousand years old by then. The question is why can't we keep copying the romans?
Ancient? ha
@Aganemnon567 i didn't say they were ancient 😂
@@juulmoose5763 lol, barock…
These old libraries look so magical and fantasy-like! They are absolutely stunning and magnificent.
th-cam.com/video/DpwAnL35KQM/w-d-xo.html
You should make more videos with architecture like this, like old cathedrals and palaces
Ohh, more architecture videos like these would be fabulous!
Agreed!!
If you give any of these projects to a modern architect, they would probably not even know how to build them, but they would at the same time ask you a billion dollars to do so, and give you some generic boring modern glass-metal boxy structure and calling it a Cathedral or Library! LOL
Modernism and wokeism; a plight on human creativity, beauty, and imagination - just repulsive!
God (Jesus) Bless! :)
I love architectural analysis ❤
This was beautiful, I think libraries are humanity's greatest treasure. They have a magical atmosphere about them. I visited the Biblioteca Joanina as a kid and it made a lasting impression on me. I love how here in Portugal bats make the best librarians xD
Regarding the bats, although it is commonly said that they protect the books from insects, that's not quite true...it's somewhat of a whit lie.
Insects can affect books in many stages of their lives, including the larvae stage. The bats mainly act when insects get their wings and fly about. And then bats themselves are a risk for the preservation of the books because of their poop (amongst other things).
th-cam.com/video/DpwAnL35KQM/w-d-xo.html
Luckily, there are definitely more amazing libraries in the world than I showcased here, but I thought 10 was about right for one video. Anyway, I hope you found this interesting! Which was your favorite?
My favorite wasn't in this part so you owe us a part 2🤣👍
Your videos have such a fine and calm quality.
hey i love your channel and im sorry can you do a video on the proposed McMillan Plan for Washington dc? and my favorite is the Biblioteca Joanina and the Admont Abey Library
I loved visiting the library at St Gall. To protect the parquet you glide around on felt slippers. An unforgettable experience.
This video is so well done! What a wonderful tour. Fascinating to learn about bats as guardians. (But what about the harm their excrement might do?)
When I saw the library in Mafra, I was so overwhelmed, that I cried. I love books.
This is what is missing from the generation of those that grew up with the internet. There is a majesty that comes from books, especially in large numbers and curated by those that realize how special the collections are. The smell of old books and upon actual observation of them in mass is to me, more fulfilling than any Google search could be. Thanks.
I think the reason many don´t go to libuarys is probually becouse there are some libuarys out there trying to be "modern" but actually look ugly. I mean having the uglyest metal shelf kombined with ugly everything does not make kids or even anyone want to read. It even hurts more if the builing itself is pretty and amazing and than switching to the actual libuary makes the libuary a dissapointment where you don´t want to do anything in it. Of course, there are pretty cozy and nice modern liburarys out there, but that is verry verry rare.
Agreed. Maybe a lost world now. We’re all going live in the cloud or digital universe apparently.
Most beautiful icons of architecture for preservation of books and knowledge! So much inspiration and contentment!
I visited the Admont Libary in person, and it was in a small town in the middle of the Austrian Alps, and it was absolutely wonderful to visit. A must visit if you are going to the Lakes Region of Austria or Salzburg.
th-cam.com/video/DpwAnL35KQM/w-d-xo.html
I cannot help mysef from being extremely proud of the fact that 3 out of the 10 you chose were Portuguese. The Rio de Janeiro, Coimbra and Mafra's Libraries have always been on my radar when I tavelled abroad (I am, of course, Portuguese) when comparing other Libraries with those sponsered by my country's heritage. I am sure that there are other great Libraries across the world, but I can't help how proud I feel about your choices.
.. and rightly so (:
@@EnchantedConsumerBeing Who is foreign to whom? Coimbra and Mafra are both in continental Portugal and Rio de Janeiro was actually the capital of the Portuguese empire when the referred library was built (as a consequente of the napoleonic invasions of Portugal, the whole court moved to Brazil and Rio de Janeiro was named the capital of the Portuguese territoritories). The first emperor of Brazil, Pedro I, who claimed the independence of Brazil was actually the son of the Portuguese King and Queen.
So, please check your History and Geography knowledge before making your comnents.
@GL Fer Well.... Everyone is entitled to his/her own opinions, however ignorante they may be.
@GL Fer Please tell me your nationality, so that I can answer your pittiful arguments in ernest. What ranks are you mentioning? The international safety index? The infant mortatility rank? Yes.... Portugal has several problems to overcome. But WE were under a dictatorship until 1974.... and our revolution towards democracy involved very few, if any, casualties. Which country can hold that as a flag? Again, your knowledge of Portugal's History is evidently biased and ignorant. The TRUTH is not what you say it is just because you write it in capital letters. I own my country's heritage, both for the good and the bad. Do you?
Portugal is one of the oldest nation states in Europe, and the one state with the oldest withstanding borders in Europe. Portugal is European just for the sake of its geographical and historical importance. And that's undeniable. Please, and again, check your Geography and History knowledge before makimg comments on a reality which you are clearly unware of.
@GL Fer Oh well.... Against all odds, and your personal and invaluabke opinion (since it is unfounded), Portugal became a popular destination for digital nomads and a haven for other foreign people. Again, you fail to tell me what your nationality is. Your comnents, lack of historical and geographical knowledge, urge me to tell you that you are part of the GARBAGE that polutes social media. I will not continue to answer any of your comnents, bacause you are nor worthy of my intelectual effiort to educate you..... Something that your country of origin (whatever it may be) has failed to do.
As a librarian i approve of this video
I agree with the sentiment we need more of these
And it won't happen , given the fact all the civilization responsible for the construction of those magnificent buildings has been erased. Baroque, roccocco, roman style, greco - roman architecture, etc, etc.... these are just codenames to hide a extremely advanced worldwide unified civilization that existed in our very near past and that built wonders all over the planet. All that our controllers want is to keep control. That is why everything is now electronically recorded. It's much more easier to erase and pervert than buildings and actual books. A single E.M. impulse and booom ! Here they come with a complete new false history. They've been continuously doing it. Why do you think there were so many world fairs and world expo's in the late 18th and 19th century??? That was the perfect excuse to present those embarrassing constructions as beeing "temporary" one-event buildings and to destroy them later. Why would they drop test bombs in the middle of the deserts, just where there happens to be such ancient sites before??? Our "history" is just a joke. Those "libraries" were all repurposed existing buildings, and that is the only reason why they kept them standing. Also check all the so called "Great Fires" that happen in ALL cities over the world almost at the same period. Check the number of casualties and compare it to the actual number of buildings destroyed....Check all the major cities allegedly raised between 15th and 19th century and compare their sizes with the actual population census of the time. Dig into Orphan Trains...One caution though: take a seat first. I tell you, this place is nothing we are told it is.
th-cam.com/video/DpwAnL35KQM/w-d-xo.html
Great overview, the Admont library is my favorite
Thanks! That one might be my favorite as well. I also really like the Labrouste Hall though!
I do love the looks of the old libraries they do look nice and cozy with all of those wooden bookshelves and leather books
Beautiful! I would love to have seen the Bodleian library in Oxford, dating, in parts, back to the Fifteenth Century, and consequently, a wonderful and more intimate foil to these splendid Baroque spaces.
Beautiful places. I can easily imagine myself spending days in some of them. Especially Trinity College, Mafra palace or Biblioteca Joanina.
Beautiful ancient architecture!
They are beautiful libraries, just majestic.
Thank you for making that video.
I so enjoyed this video - please consider another library chapter (haha!) And the detail about bats guarding the books was fascinating! The Portuguese libraries were my favorite . Thanks for this wonderful post and count me as a new subscriber.
The detail regarding the bats, although it is what the library officially states, it lacks truth. There are bats in the library and they do eat some of the flying insects, but they fail to eat the insects in the larvae state and also hurt the preservation of the books by pooping in the library (among other things).
Breathtaking, who wouldn't treasure knowledge this way 📜
Que surpresa encontrar o velho real gabinete português de leitura nesta lista! Um de nossos imperadores passava muitas horas estudando neste local. No rio de Janeiro ainda tem a maior biblioteca da américa latina, a FUNDAÇÃO BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL.
th-cam.com/video/DpwAnL35KQM/w-d-xo.html
Never knew some libraries house bat colonies. How do they deal with bat poop? :' )
From what I read someone just goes in every morning and cleans it up. They don't fly around in daytime so I guess that's enough ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
peabody's library is absolutely stunning. I went to school in baltimore and hadn't realized this was literally a few blocks away from me. Took my breath away when i finally saw it in person!
I am from Peabody, MA, where he was born
And today they want to build soul less concrete and glass boxes.
We are definitely in a phase of decline
Today's architecture is the worst time for Architecture.
@@javierpacheco8234 Functionalism wasn't very nice neither.
@@slouberiee well the way how we design form follows architecture isn't the same way how the architect who said this famous line called form follows function does, but if you see his architecture, it is beautiful and has that ornament and classical look which i love. I personally hate that architects dont see this and we have forgotten to create beautiful architecture.
Brutalism 🙌. No wonder people become more stupid. Who wants to read there?
This is impressive. I am delighted that Baltimore is close enough for me to visit some day.
We are ready for the next 10 libraries please. This presentaion was excellent - thank you.
I was on a vacation in vienna and I was in hofburg and saw the library. Amazing, great experience. I just loved it
Awesome! I visited the Joanina Library in Portugal absolutely wonderful video thank you!
The Austrian libraries are insanely beautiful.
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I was in Lisbon last year and could not get into the library. I lived in Paris for over 30 years and never went into the Biblioteque National ! At the time you needed a written reason, it wasn't public although the public paid for it ! Fab video !
I have just discovered your channel and I am very glad of doing so. The beautiful presentation bis enhanced by the magnificent soundtrack. Thank you for showing those wonderful Portuguese libraries; I believe that most of us tend to ignore those countries that have not played a leading role in European history as we are (and rightly so) overwhelmed by the colossal achievements of Italy, France, Spain, the Netherlands, and the Germanic nations (Germany and Austria) between 1500 and 1900.
What an underrated channel, I'm going to spend the next week or so watching every single one of your videos
Masterpieces. Thanks.
When I was younger I used to hate reading but now as an adult I absolutely love books and getting lost in the strokes. These library absolutely magnificent!
The Prague's Klementinum Library in Czechia is amazing as well.
And Strahov Library in Prague also :)
I thought it would be number 1 when 9 other passed without it being mentioned
I've worked in two of these, but I agree that there are many more that are definitely worth seeing as well!!!
The Peabody library is arguable one of the most beautiful single rooms in the whole country, and definitely holds up on a world stage. It’s absolutely breathtaking and usually photos don’t show the staircases in it which are all glorious too
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I am from Peabody, MA, where he was born.
Okay, this is going into my favorites ASAP!
And Admont Abby is going on my bucket list.
I recently visited the Biblioteca Joanina and Mafra Palace Library’s in Portugal, they are beautiful and impressive. The guide mentioned the use of bats to control insects in the past but it’s no longer current practice. Another beautiful library is at Melk located outside Vienna
I clicked on the video specifically hoping that Wiblingen was going to be mentioned and I was not disappointed. One of the most beautiful places I have ever been to.
I must add the Biblioteca Malatestiana in Cesena (Italy). It's not the biggest, not the most magnificent, but this is the oldest public library still in its original state, with 3000 volumes specifically (hand) copied for its opening in 1452. Serving the public for 570 years!
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This is such a great and underrated channel. I love it, thanks for uploading!
They are absolutely stunning. I would love to visit at least one of them.
im surprised that the Library of Congress's reading room wasnt on the list. though number ten was astoundingly beautiful.
Oh, yeah. That would have been a good one!
@@kingsandthings the only one funded by a republic and not rich ppl or monarchs should take the number 1 spot. very euro biased for sure.
@@EresirThe1st Except when it isn't.
@@familyvids1
Perhaps, what may have gone better in America, is greater engagement of the wealthy class by funding beautiful works of national treasure (architecturally-speaking), as private endeavors, and not as tax write-offs. I’m not denigrating the level of charity or philanthropy in the USA, but the involvement of private wealthy/influential individuals in the creation of a collective work of art for the people to enjoy and to see as uniquely theirs. Nothing like that has happened here in America, with the exceptions of parks (yay, trees and grass) or some banal modern steel/glass feature you have to pay to even walk on, in at least 50-60 years.
@@sergpie from my experience a lot of american museums at the turn of the century were paid for and supported by the wealthy. Western Union the shitty money transfer agency has paid a gorgeous museum in Cleveland, so is the NY Met Museum, and the one in Chicago and pretty much all north east cities. if anything that tradition as you correctly point out has died out in the recent decades. but then again the whole liberal mindset of the 60's pushed everything away from the 'classical' idea of beauty and that in my opinion started the trend towards these ugly steel and glass buildings. But this is a problem with the general public who eat out of plastic bags and consume colored sugary water as their pass time. Why would bezos invest in a classical library when 99% of the public would probably admire a football made of strawberry cake much more?
Recently went to Ireland and had a chance to look at the library's historical books, it was truly beautiful.
The burning of the ancient library in Alexandria had to be one of our biggest losses in history. Thank goodness we can now preserve info online safe from fire.
I've been inside the Wiblingen Abbey Library. While it is astoundingly beautiful, a fun fact to note is that the columns and the balustrade aren't made from real marble, as they often weren't in churches, abbeys or other architecture of the time. Marble was expensive, so the architects went with a more artistic approach; wooden elements would be painted in such a way as to give the Illusion of marble. Even up close, it is nearly impossible to tell without touching the columns.
And the statues and frescos are very much as beautiful as described and show here.
fun fact - this art of painted marble was more precious and costly than having real marble built in.....
@@riccardodececco4404 understandable, as someone who paints minis i can attest to depth details like the ones i saw in that room are expertly made and requires a lot of time to make in that scale.
visited this specific room for a wedding ceremony in july, were we got a bit of its history told including the wood tid bit. but as german are my third language i did not get all the details. also my focus was directed more at the friends waiting to be bound in holy marriage.
Thank you, I am loving this video you made 2 years after you were kind enough to post it. Who says kindness is such that it is eternal indeed and reaches through time and space Friends !
Your calming voice and the🇨🇭library are my favorites. MERCI!!!
8:43 was there this summer, a couple of friends got married there. the most beautiful room i have ever entered.
we were told most of it actually are wood and its just been covered with different materials to look like stone. i wish i could share pictures from the ceremony there.
You are very underrated, you make fantastic and professional content!
Truly beautiful! I’m in awe.
It would be interesting to know about how these beautiful libraries are used. Of course, their collections don’t circulate but how do scholars access them? Are most of the collections catalogued?
Speaking from experience with the Strahov Library in Prague, which is 300 years old (or at least the historical part of it) and contains books from the 9th century onwards... Generally you wont be allowed to read the books themselves, but you will be given a scanned copy of it. If it has not been scanned yet, well tough luck, you can request it, but it takes months for the library to get it done. But most of the ones, that are commonly requsted, are already available. Think of it as more of an archive, despite the "library" in the name.
(My experience is from the Bibliotheque nationale de France, including using the Richelieu building we saw here)
First you apply for a reader card; this can often be done online. In the past, you used to have a letter of recommendation, but probably not anymore, at least in the bigger libraries.
Second, you usually have to reserve a seat, and this can often be done online. Then you order books, documents, and microfilms that you want to see.
When you actually go to the library, you show your card, go to your seat, and they bring you the items you ordered. As Lidoot said, if an e-copy or microfilm is available, they may ask that you look at it first. But after that, they are often quite receptive to giving you the actual, centuries-old book if there is something you can't see well enough. That's almost always the case with the microfilms and black-and-white e-copies. I generally need to see the colors of ink, because I work with music scores that have been marked up for performance.
Before taking pictures, ask for permission. If you want to look at a book, be sure to ask for pillows and a serpent. The "pillows" are rolls of fabric to put under the edges so that the book doesn't have to open all the way and crack the spine. The serpent is a little velvet-covered chain or sandbag that holds the pages open so you don't have to touch the pages while you read.
Visiting a historical library is a wonderful adventure, because you never know what you will find, and whatever it is, you are often the first person to caress a particular page since the original owner.
@@beverlywilcox4349 Thank you for this reply. It’s great that these wonderful treasures are more than gloriously elaborate buildings to be awed over.
The fact that the materials are accessible by scholars suggests that the collections are catalogued. I wonder if the catalogues are available online or if researchers have other resources they use to find out what is available in which library. I’m a retired college librarian and familiar with using WorldCat for locating needed materials in libraries worldwide, but I don’t know if libraries such as shown here are included on WorldCat.
@@Dogsnark As to "catalogued," they are making great strides. When I was there in 2012 and 2013, to find out if they had a music manuscript, you had to check the online catalogue, then the card file for the Music Department, then the card file for the Paris Conservatoire, then schmooze with the on-duty librarian, and even then you couldn't be sure. But that was fine by me because it made it possible to find goodies that qualify as "discoveries."
@@Dogsnark If your college has a history department they should be able to help you find online catalogues/indexes of manuscripts from abbey libraries etc. I've done one year of a bachelor's history study in a Dutch university and we had to do a lot of work with these types of manuscript indexes. Afraid I can't help you myself though cause I've completely forgotten how the stuff works and uni libraries probably have subscriptions to these indexes which I can't access anymore.
I'm sooooo grateful thank you
These libraries are magnificent.🤩👑
Today buildings are slabs of concrete and glass, so ugly.
I'm impressed to learn that several of the libraries mentioned are in Portugal 🇵🇹
Proud of my heritage.
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Haha, the algorithm really outdid itself with this one. Terrific video, you’ve earned yourself a subscriber. Keep up the quality content!
Bless the YT recommendation algorithm.
I just found this channel and love it
I am a librarien and been to a few libraries in this list - but I never knew about bat colonies in the 2 portugese houses. I Love it!
Excellent!!! Dare I hope for Vols. II, III and IV? I could plan an entire summer's vacation seeing Europe's best libraries!
Amazing! Just added all these places to my bucket list 😋
Your channel is so underrated. I love the content!
Thank you! :)
Thank you for this video so nourishing for the soul !
The Biblioteca Palafoxiana is a library in Puebla City's historic centre, in the Mexican state of Puebla. Founded in 1646, it is recognized by the UNESCO for being the first and oldest public library in the Americas.
Protestants: "These catholics are way too vain and focused on temporal stuff, we should leave them and save the gold fo-"
Catholic Monks: *_"EPIC LIBRARRRYYYYYYY!!!"_*
Bro, look at all these baroque libraries and other building from protestant nations
The Hell is the point of doing anything it it isn't FABULOUS!
You probably didn't understand Protestantism.
Protestantism has nothing to do with liberalism, secularism and running after the zeitgeist.
But with the protest at the unbiblical, anti-Christian, pagan, Babylonian, satanic Catholic Church and its Catholic religion
and a return to the Bible the word of GOD, JESUS CHRIST and the true biblical Gospel.
Hahahahahahhahah, guy u are certainly sure!!!!
Imagine if all the libraries that was burnt, destroyed and forgot in the name of religions still existed today? Its kinda sad to know the sheer amount of knowledge that was lost...
Great choices. If the list was longer, I'd recommend the Royal library at San Lorenzo (near Madrid). Similar to some of the Hapsburg styles shown here but every book is reversed so the spine faces the back of the shelf and the page edges are gilt - row after row of gleaming gold. Not sure how you go about finding a book though since there are no titles showing.
I almost included that one. Maybe I should have actually? The frescoes look amazing too!
Thank you very much for this beautiful and amazing video. You have incredibly beautiful voice and it is such a joy to watch with it this ancient historical beauty. Wish you the best and many creative ideas for another masterpieces.🤗❤️
Speaking of Austrian libraries -- the founder of Austrian Economics, Carl Menger, had one of the greatest personal libraries probably in history. It contained over 20,000 volumes and was in his home. He spent much of his time caring for it. It is now mostly located in a university in Japan, sadly contained mostly to storage containers. Economist scholars over the last sixty years have spent a lot of time deciphering his margin notes scattered throughout the volumes to get a sense of how he arrived at his innovative thought.
They are all (1X being my least favorite yet still appreciated) lovely, but X is beyond gorgeous. In such a beautiful and happy interior. I can imagine reading nothing but uplifting and soul purifying literature.
Thank you.🙂
I also like X. The color scheme it uses makes it really stand out among the other nine.
3:23 ..beautiful
National Library of France is my favorite. Cool video!
Merci. Cette chaîne est d'utilité publique.
I will add to this wonderful list one library that was a reference for many of these ones, the Royal Library of the Escorial from 1565
Library of El Escorial monastery in Spain is also magnificent
I would like to have seen the library of El Escorial added to this list. It is a marvelously impressive site where all the books' gilded pages face outwards and the spines are against the back of the shelves. There is complex catalog system indicating where a desired book can be located, but my concern was always what would happen if one book was erroneously replaced in the wrong location.
I live in St.Gallen, Switzerland. Its really beautiful Library!
I'm in love with this channel
Your videos have such a fine and calm quality.
Magnificent, unbelievable (almost)....amazing for how long people have been spending a LOT on architecture, and books!
For another video about beautiful historial libraries you could talk about the Royal Library of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in Spain.
Another beautiful historic library is the Bodleian Library (in particular the Old Bodleian Library) that is part of Oxford university. It is one of the oldest libraries in Europe and stunning to look at.
Breathtaking
Insanely beautiful interiors and exteriors. This was a great video and I hope you make more on that matter. The comments here suggest that there is great potential for a part 2.
Since everyone talks about such buildings that were left out, I will do the same. I think you should check the ex-national library building in Athens, Greece. It is a beautiful neo-classical structure that looks like an ancient Greek temple. It may not have the scale of most of your examples here but it is still impressive.
Hello from Brazil! I would like to thank you for your amazing videos and your wonderful channel!💜
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Totally beautiful libraries I don't know if I would be more interested in the art work and architecture if I was researching in one of these libraries I think I would get distracted easily
Wow, these are wonderful, thank you for this video!
Excellent video! This channel deserves way more subscribers. This is great stuff.
Really stunning! Thanks for sharing! 🌷
I do not really read anymore but I would love to visit these libraries and I would love to own a nice library myself.
Austria has a lot of beautiful sights considering it’s such a small country.
I like the compact style of the Real Cabinet Portugues of Reading, it seems like the books are going to fall on you
Portuguese kings were completely fanatic of reading and having all sorts of books available. They would take it across the ocean as well.
Nice video, as all of your videos. Just a small comment. The UNESCO WHS Palace/Convent of Mafra is located about 40km/24mi northnorthwest of Lisbon's city centre in the city of Mafra and definitely worth a visit. 🙂
Very beautiful art works and meaningful libraries
7:56
I am from Peabody, Massachusetts, where George Peabody was born. He also founded the smaller Peabody Institute Library in Peabody. Cool to see someone mentioned who was born within a mile of me.
wow - I shall add libraries to my list of things to look for when visiting places - who knew they could be this impressive
you forgot to mention for the trinity college that it also houses the famous book of kells, when I visited the college a few years ago it was beautiful and looked so well preserved for its age
The Book of Kells is no longer in the Long Room, as you know. They built a whole new building to present it and charge you fiercely to get in. However, the exhibition around it is quite educational.
I remember when they kept it in a case under glass in the Long Room and they turned a new page every day, so you could return every day to see a new page. The fee was just the price for seeing the library, which in the 1970s was 60 pence or so. There were no uniformed guards or anything, the book was just there under it glass pane.
Great Libraries are shrines in their own right.
Well I know what to add to my bucket list now!!!
Incredible. I wonder how many of these spaces are open to the general public? Would love to visit every one of them.
Wiblingen are open to the public, but touching is verboten, i think it may be a guided tour though.
I can't speak for the others on the list, but I've lived in Baltimore my whole life and have been to the Peabody Library many times. It's non circulating, and visitor access is limited to the ground floor, but you can easily call and request access to the other floors for research purposes. It was founded for the express purpose of making knowledge freely available to anyone who wants to seek it out, and they respect that original intent to this day.
Superb
😮🤯 I want to go see all of them now