Flavorwire’s list of the world’s most beautiful college libraries contains a lot of expected things — high ceilings, rows of leather-bound tomes, Cambridge, etc. So it’s thrilling to see Baltimore’s very own Peabody Library in the top ten.
Thrilling, but not surprising — at least if you’ve ever stepped foot in the place. It certainly matches Flavorwire’s description of the ideal university library: “It is at once a shining emblem of vast, acquirable knowledge, a place for deep discussions and meetings of the mind, and of course, a big building full of books, which, as far as we’re concerned, is exciting enough.” The library, which opened in 1878, has a 61-foot ceiling, five levels of cast-iron balconies, and a lovely, peaceful hush.
The only catch is its limited hours — Tuesday through Thursday it’s open from 9AM to 5PM; on Fridays, it closes at 3PM. Or if you’d rather just look at photographs of gorgeous libraries from Portugal to New Haven, click here. It’s almost as good as studying.
