Sainte-Geneviève Library, Paris, France
French architect Henri Labrouste believed that buildings should reflect their origins. So, in the mid-19th century, when he was asked to create the first major library in France attached to neither a palace, monastery or school, he turned to its history. Bolstered by booty following the Revolution and Napoleon's campaigns, the collection – originally a monastic library dating from the ninth century – had long outgrown the former abbey building in which it was housed. Labrouste created a cathedral of learning influenced by the architecture of Rome and Florence, resulting in an eye-catching blend of industrial guts and neo-Gothic grandeur, every bit as impressive as the architect's other Parisian masterwork, the National Library. Visit on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 4pm for ‘Discovery’ tours (in French; booking required).
Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Alexandria, Egypt
Few haven't heard of the Great Library of Alexandria, which was said to have contained all the wisdom of the ancient world. Likely established during Pharaoh Ptolemy I Soter's reign (323–285 BC), its destruction robbed us of untold knowledge. However, more than 2,000 years after fires lit by Julius Caesar's forces sparked its decline, a successor appeared. Inaugurated in 2009, the modern Bibliotheca Alexandrina is a story in itself. The curved facade is made from huge granite slabs etched with languages spanning some 10,000 years, and a tilted roof shades its collection of some eight million books. Though its design bears little resemblance to descriptions of its predecessor, the tiered reading room echoes the amphitheatres of the ancient world. Tours in English (Saturday–Thursday) tell the stories of both libraries.
