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The World’s 100 Best Libraries · 2026

The Best Libraries in Europe

48 of the 100 libraries in The World’s 100 Best Libraries 2026 are in Europe, in 24 countries. The highest placed is State Hall of the Austrian National Library in Vienna, Austria, at number 1 in the world. Deichman Bjørvika in Oslo, Norway (number 2) and Stuttgart City Library in Stuttgart, Germany (number 4) follow.

State Hall of the Austrian National Library
N° 1 · State Hall of the Austrian National Library, Vienna

Baroque halls

The State Hall of the Austrian National Library is in the Hofburg in Vienna. Admont Abbey Library in the Austrian Alps is a white-and-gold hall of 1776. The Abbey Library of St Gall is part of a World Heritage abbey district. The Klementinum in Prague is seen on a guided tour that passes the library hall, and the Joanina Library is in the University of Coimbra. The Duchess Anna Amalia Library in Weimar shows its Rococo Hall.

Britain and Ireland

The Old Library of Trinity College in Dublin holds the Book of Kells and the Long Room. The John Rylands Library in Manchester is a neo-Gothic building of about 1900. The Bodleian in Oxford is seen on guided tours. The Library of Birmingham has roof gardens, and Liverpool Central Library has the domed Picton Reading Room.

City libraries

Stuttgart City Library is a white cube with staircases around an open atrium. Deichman Bjørvika in Oslo and Oodi in Helsinki are new central libraries. The Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library in Budapest is in a 19th-century palace. The Gabriel García Márquez Library in Barcelona has a timber structure, Het Predikheren in Mechelen is in a former Dominican monastery, and Stacja Kultura in Rumia is in a railway station of 1886.

National libraries

The Richelieu site of the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris reopened in 2022 with its Oval Room. The national libraries of Latvia, Belarus, Estonia, Luxembourg, Spain and Kosovo are on the list; in Madrid and Pristina many rooms are closed to visitors.

Libraries

98. Bidebarrieta Library 97. National Library of Kosovo 96. Malatestiana Library 92. Braidense National Library 91. De Nieuwe Bibliotheek 86. San Giovanni Library 85. Rozet 81. The Culture Yard Library 79. OBA Oosterdok 77. National Library of Luxembourg 76. Deventer Library 73. National Library of Spain 71. National Library of Estonia 67. Biblioteca Salaborsa 65. University of Warsaw Library 64. Bibliothèque francophone multimédia 63. National Library of Finland 62. Duchess Anna Amalia Library 60. National Library of Belarus 59. Dokk1 58. Royal Danish Library 57. School 7 56. Bodleian Library 55. Bibliothèque Oscar Niemeyer 51. Gheorghe Asachi Technical University Library 48. Lund University Library 44. Stacja Kultura 41. Liverpool Central Library 40. National Library of Latvia 35. Old Library, Trinity College 33. Library of Birmingham 32. Joanina Library 30. Stockholm Public Library 29. John Rylands Library 28. Het Predikheren 27. LocHal Library 25. Neude Library 24. Klementinum 17. Gabriel García Márquez Library 11. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Richelieu 9. Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library 8. Malmö City Library 7. Admont Abbey Library 6. Abbey Library of St Gall 5. Oodi Helsinki Central Library 4. Stuttgart City Library 2. Deichman Bjørvika 2 1. State Hall of the Austrian National Library 1
98. Bidebarrieta Library 97. National Library of Kosovo 96. Malatestiana Library 92. Braidense National Library 91. De Nieuwe Bibliotheek 86. San Giovanni Library 85. Rozet 81. The Culture Yard Library 79. OBA Oosterdok 77. National Library of Luxembourg 76. Deventer Library 73. National Library of Spain 71. National Library of Estonia 67. Biblioteca Salaborsa 65. University of Warsaw Library 64. Bibliothèque francophone multimédia 63. National Library of Finland 62. Duchess Anna Amalia Library 60. National Library of Belarus 59. Dokk1 58. Royal Danish Library 57. School 7 56. Bodleian Library 55. Bibliothèque Oscar Niemeyer 51. Gheorghe Asachi Technical University Library 48. Lund University Library 44. Stacja Kultura 41. Liverpool Central Library 40. National Library of Latvia 35. Old Library, Trinity College 33. Library of Birmingham 32. Joanina Library 30. Stockholm Public Library 29. John Rylands Library 28. Het Predikheren 27. LocHal Library 25. Neude Library 24. Klementinum 17. Gabriel García Márquez Library 11. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Richelieu 9. Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library 8. Malmö City Library 7. Admont Abbey Library 6. Abbey Library of St Gall 5. Oodi Helsinki Central Library 4. Stuttgart City Library 2. Deichman Bjørvika 2 1. State Hall of the Austrian National Library 1
  1. State Hall of the Austrian National Library N° 1 State Hall of the Austrian National Library Vienna, Austria Historic library
  2. Deichman Bjørvika N° 2 Deichman Bjørvika Oslo, Norway Public library
  3. Stuttgart City Library N° 4 Stuttgart City Library Stuttgart, Germany Public library
  4. Oodi Helsinki Central Library N° 5 Oodi Helsinki Central Library Helsinki, Finland Public library
  5. Abbey Library of St Gall N° 6 Abbey Library of St Gall St. Gallen, Switzerland Monastery library
  6. Admont Abbey Library N° 7 Admont Abbey Library Admont, Austria Monastery library
  7. Malmö City Library N° 8 Malmö City Library Malmö, Sweden Public library
  8. Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library N° 9 Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library Budapest, Hungary Public library
  9. Bibliothèque nationale de France, Richelieu N° 11 Bibliothèque nationale de France, Richelieu Paris, France National library
  10. Gabriel García Márquez Library N° 17 Gabriel García Márquez Library Barcelona, Spain Public library
  11. Klementinum N° 24 Klementinum Prague, Czechia Historic library
  12. Neude Library N° 25 Neude Library Utrecht, Netherlands Public library
  13. LocHal Library N° 27 LocHal Library Tilburg, Netherlands Public library
  14. Het Predikheren N° 28 Het Predikheren Mechelen, Belgium Public library
  15. John Rylands Library N° 29 John Rylands Library Manchester, United Kingdom Historic library
  16. Stockholm Public Library N° 30 Stockholm Public Library Stockholm, Sweden Public library
  17. Joanina Library N° 32 Joanina Library Coimbra, Portugal University library
  18. Library of Birmingham N° 33 Library of Birmingham Birmingham, United Kingdom Public library
  19. Old Library, Trinity College N° 35 Old Library, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland University library
  20. National Library of Latvia N° 40 National Library of Latvia Riga, Latvia National library
  21. Liverpool Central Library N° 41 Liverpool Central Library Liverpool, United Kingdom Public library
  22. Stacja Kultura N° 44 Stacja Kultura Rumia, Poland Public library
  23. Lund University Library N° 48 Lund University Library Lund, Sweden University library
  24. Gheorghe Asachi Technical University Library N° 51 Gheorghe Asachi Technical University Library Iași, Romania University library
  25. Bibliothèque Oscar Niemeyer N° 55 Bibliothèque Oscar Niemeyer Le Havre, France Public library
  26. Bodleian Library N° 56 Bodleian Library Oxford, United Kingdom University library
  27. School 7 N° 57 School 7 Den Helder, Netherlands Public library
  28. Royal Danish Library N° 58 Royal Danish Library Copenhagen, Denmark National library
  29. Dokk1 N° 59 Dokk1 Aarhus, Denmark Public library
  30. National Library of Belarus N° 60 National Library of Belarus Minsk, Belarus National library
  31. Duchess Anna Amalia Library N° 62 Duchess Anna Amalia Library Weimar, Germany Historic library
  32. National Library of Finland N° 63 National Library of Finland Helsinki, Finland National library
  33. Bibliothèque francophone multimédia N° 64 Bibliothèque francophone multimédia Limoges, France Public library
  34. University of Warsaw Library N° 65 University of Warsaw Library Warsaw, Poland University library
  35. Biblioteca Salaborsa N° 67 Biblioteca Salaborsa Bologna, Italy Public library
  36. National Library of Estonia N° 71 National Library of Estonia Tallinn, Estonia National library
  37. National Library of Spain N° 73 National Library of Spain Madrid, Spain National library
  38. Deventer Library N° 76 Deventer Library Deventer, Netherlands Public library
  39. National Library of Luxembourg N° 77 National Library of Luxembourg Luxembourg, Luxembourg National library
  40. OBA Oosterdok N° 79 OBA Oosterdok Amsterdam, Netherlands Public library
  41. The Culture Yard Library N° 81 The Culture Yard Library Helsingør, Denmark Public library
  42. Rozet N° 85 Rozet Arnhem, Netherlands Public library
  43. San Giovanni Library N° 86 San Giovanni Library Pesaro, Italy Public library
  44. De Nieuwe Bibliotheek N° 91 De Nieuwe Bibliotheek Almere, Netherlands Public library
  45. Braidense National Library N° 92 Braidense National Library Milan, Italy National library
  46. Malatestiana Library N° 96 Malatestiana Library Cesena, Italy Public library
  47. National Library of Kosovo N° 97 National Library of Kosovo Pristina, Kosovo National library
  48. Bidebarrieta Library N° 98 Bidebarrieta Library Bilbao, Spain Public library

Best by region

  1. The NordicsDeichman BjørvikaOslo, NorwayN° 2
  2. EuropeState Hall of the Austrian National LibraryVienna, AustriaN° 1
  3. AsiaIshikawa Prefectural LibraryKanazawa, JapanN° 18
  4. The Middle EastQatar National LibraryDoha, QatarN° 3
  5. North AmericaSeattle Central LibrarySeattle, United StatesN° 10
  6. Latin AmericaRoyal Portuguese Cabinet of ReadingRio de Janeiro, BrazilN° 14
  7. OceaniaState Library VictoriaMelbourne, AustraliaN° 12

Best by country

  1. United StatesSeattle Central LibrarySeattleN° 10
  2. JapanIshikawa Prefectural LibraryKanazawaN° 18
  3. NetherlandsNeude LibraryUtrechtN° 25
  4. TaiwanTaoyuan Public LibraryTaoyuanN° 38