It’s known as the biggest baroque library in Europe now but it was originally built as an ornate private wing in Vienna’s Imperial Palace in the first half of the 18th century. The grand Augustinian Reading Room is crowned with a famous frescoed dome. Dive deeper into its history on a library tour.

Inspired by Alexandria’s grand original library (built 288BC), the disc-shaped design spans 160 metres in diameter and sits on a tilt. It houses a vast, contemporary interior of warm wood and soaring ceilings with seven tiers of books and study areas bathed in natural light.

Built in 1878, the five tiers of the Baltimore library contain more than 300,000 books dating from the 18th century. The ornamental cast-iron balconies rise to a skylight almost 20 metres high. Book lovers can get married here – the space is available for hire!

A stack of four rectangular volumes defines this eye-catching library, which was built in 2013. A filigree pattern of metal rings adorns the gold, silver and glass facade, casting decorative shadows onto the floors of the reading rooms inside. The library is known for its impressive collection of the works of Shakespeare.

From the outside, it looks like a concrete cube. Step inside the five-storey reading room, however, and you find a light-filled masterpiece in the shape of an inverted pyramid. Books line the outer walls and there’s a cafe on the top floor.

This neo-Modernist library on the Copenhagen waterfront is known as the Black Diamond. It may be all glass, steel and hard edges on the outside, but the light-filled interior features wave-like balconies, fountains and murals.