Biblioteca Joanina, Baroque academic library at University of Coimbra, Portugal
The three-story library features thick stone walls, geometric floor patterns, and gilded oak shelves containing over 60,000 volumes from different fields of study.
King John V of Portugal ordered the construction of this library between 1717 and 1728 to house the expanding collection of the University of Coimbra.
The library interior displays Portuguese craftsmanship through painted ceilings, ornate carvings, and decorative elements in black, red, and green color schemes.
Visitors can access the Biblioteca Joanina through guided tours that include other historical spaces, with tickets ranging from 13.5 to 17.5 euros.
A colony of bats inhabits the library, providing natural pest control by consuming paper-eating insects, requiring staff to cover surfaces each night.
Location: Coimbra
Inception: 1717
Website: http://bibliotecajoanina.uc.pt
GPS coordinates: 40.20710,-8.42650
Latest update: March 12, 2025 17:13
European historic libraries and bookshops preserve written heritage accumulated over centuries. From Livraria Bertrand in Lisbon, founded in 1732 and still operating at the same location, to the Bodleian Library in Oxford, which has housed over 13 million works since 1602, these sites reflect the evolution and dissemination of books. Livraria Lello in Porto is notable for its curved wooden staircase and neo-Gothic woodwork from 1906, while Dominicanen Bookshop in Maastricht is housed in a converted 13th-century church. These spaces are distinguished by their architecture, from baroque to neo-Gothic, and by their function preserved across centuries. The Celsus Library in Izmir, built in 135 AD, used double walls to protect its 12,000 parchments from humidity. Hatchards in London has been operating since 1797 over five floors in Piccadilly, whereas Shakespeare and Company in Paris has maintained its English-language tradition since 1951 opposite Notre-Dame. These institutions offer visitors the chance to explore places where the history of the book is engraved in stone and wood.
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New Cathedral of Coimbra
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Machado de Castro National Museum
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Paços da Universidade ou Paços das Escolas
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University of Coimbra – Alta and Sofia
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Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra
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Torre de Almedina
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Faculdade de Letras
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Igreja de São Tiago
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National Museum Machado de Castro
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Torre de Anto
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Escadas monumentais
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Paço de Sub-Ripas
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Igreja de São João de Almedina
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Parque Dr. Manuel Braga
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Túmulo de D. Sesnando
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Igreja de São Salvador (Sé Nova)
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Igreja do Antigo Colégio de Santo António da Estrela
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Edifício do Hotel Astória
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Colégio de Santa Rita
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Portal do Colégio de São Tomás
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Cerca de Coimbra, designadamente o Arco de Almedina
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Colégio da Santíssima Trindade
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Arco Pequeno de Almedina
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Portais da Extinta Igreja de Santa Ana
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Praça do Comércio
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Capela do Tesoureiro
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Casa do Arco
320 mReviews
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