Thousands and thousands of books and hidden secret passages make libraries something very special. We introduce you to five libraries.
In libraries, the cathedrals of books, there are countless things to discover. In some of them you will find real treasures from earlier centuries. From time to time, church towers may also contain old libraries. Whether it's an old library in a college or an old church, behind many a great wall of books hides one or the other secret passage that makes the library really exciting and mysterious. It is not only reminiscent of Harry Potter, but also of Enid Blyton's "Five Friends", which discovered a mysterious passage in almost every adventure novel. Here are five great libraries with hidden passages.
Benedictine Abbey of Admont
The Benedictine Abbey of Admont, officially known as the Benedictine Abbey of St. Blaise in Admont, is located in the Austrian market town of Admont. It was founded in 1074 by Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg, making it the oldest surviving monastery in Styria. Here, behind a great wall of books, the secret passage is hidden, as you can see from a post on Instagram. This secret door opens access to a hidden space.
Trinity College Library, Dublin
The library of Trinity College in Dublin is said to be hiding a secret passage behind the books. © Wirestock/Imago
Trinity College in Dublin was founded in 1592 on the models of Oxford and Cambridge. It is considered one of the leading universities in Europe. In their beautiful library there is the so-called "Long Room", which is known for the long hall with books and a secret passage.
Strahov Monastery Library, Prague
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The Stahov Monastery Library also has a secret passage hidden behind a wall of books that leads to a hidden room. In addition to the book collection, the Strahov Library contains a variety of unique pieces such as prints, manuscripts, engravings and maps. One of the most important treasures is the "Gospel Book of Strahov", a manuscript from the 9th/10th century.
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The "Theological Hall" originally housed the entire monastery library and since 1790 exclusively theological works. It was built between 1671 and 1679 according to plans by Giovanni Domenico Orsi de Orsini and enlarged in 1721. The "Philosophical Hall" was built between 1783 and 1790 according to plans by Ignaz Johann Palliardi for the book collections of the secularized monastery of Klosterbruck near Znojmo. The library should not be missed on any trip to Prague.
Library of Congress, Washington
The largest library in the U.S. is also said to have some secret passages and rooms. However, these are usually not accessible to the public. The entire collection of books is spread over several buildings. With more than 160 million pieces of media content, it is the second largest library in the world. Only the British Library in London is bigger. The circular "Reading Room" alone is worth a visit.
Library in the Palace of Mafra, Portugal
The National Palace of Mafra, also known as the Palácio Nacional de Mafra, is the largest palace and monastery complex in Portugal. The building was designed by the Swabian architect Johann Friedrich Ludwig and built between 1717 and 1730 in the Baroque style. The construction period lasted 13 years, and the palace was finally inaugurated under the reign of John V. The final completion took place in 1755. Also in the palace library there are said to be numerous secret passages and hidden connections to other parts of the palace. The library contains about 36,000 volumes from the 15th to the 19th century.
Other libraries with secret passages
If you want to search for more secret doors in libraries, you should try the hashtag #secretdoor on Instagram. Even if not all of the 74,000 contributions show such secret passages, there are still one or two secret doors to be discovered.
Test your knowledge in the literature quiz
Libraries invite you to linger. Once you have found the right book, we recommend one of these ten great reading places to enjoy the literature. If the temperature rises too much, we have put together books here that take place in the swimming pool.