Why did I ever think there was just one list of “The World’s Most Beautiful Libraries”? I suppose any magazine, newspaper, or blogger might make one. There are the “most beautiful public libraries,” “the most exquisite libraries,” “the most spectacular libraries,” and many more. And are these lists all the same? Of course not!

So all I can say about the State Hall of the Austrian National Library is that whether or not it’s on any or all of those lists, it’s certainly on mine. (In this it joins the library at the Strahov Monastery in Prague, which I have described previously.) And I hope that in this post I can show you why.

Two whole stories of antique books, marble columns, gorgeously painted high ceilings, plenty of natural light, and a nifty statue in the middle…What’s not to like?