20 of the Most Exquisite Libraries in the World

STRAHOV MONASTERY LIBRARY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

The Strahov monastery in Prague was originally founded in 1143. Despite wars, fires, and other disasters, the order endured and built its library in 1679. The library’s best-known features are its remarkable ceiling, which is covered in Biblical frescoes, and the “compilation wheel” that can turn and rotate shelves in order to make books easier to find without knocking any of them over.