Some of the most beautiful libraries in Hungary

Would you fancy reading under baroque frescos, relaxing in an antique armchair, or in a hypermodern library, built from wooden shelves? Well, travelo.hu collected the most special libraries in Hungary and the world, but we only concentrated on the Hungarian ones and brought five out of the most beautiful libraries into the limelight. 

Metropolitan Ervin Szabó Library, Budapest

“One of the most beautiful buildings of the magnate district in Pest, which was originally built as a noble private residence; the Wenckheim Palace has been the home of the capital’s library for more than 80 years. The neo-baroque palace, built in 1889, was completely renovated at the turn of the millennium and two buildings were attached to the glorious library palace. The building complex, which has been awarded with Europa Nostra Prize and Architectural Award of Excellence, is the unique example of the harmony between old and new” introduces the brilliant library itself on its website.

Travelo.hu writes that you can get to know the fantastic reading halls while having a book in your hands. Their favourite one is the philosophic hall with its wooden, carved spiral staircase and crystal chandeliers. It’s worth joining the history of art walks held every second Saturday between 11 and 12 am. However, make sure to apply in time as they are usually full.

Helikon Library, Keszthely

Hungary’s only unharmed baronial private library can be found in the imposing Festetics Castle in Keszthely. Books were so important for the Festetics family that they built a separate library annex to the baroque castle; the construction was finished in 1801. Some curiosities can be found in the collection, which counts more than 80 thousand books. The oldest book is Chronica Hungarorum, the work of János Thuróczy from 1488. Besides the books the classicist interior of the library is also unique.

“The survival of the collection is due to the commander of the Russian corps occupying Keszthely in WWII, who estimated the value of the treasures and walled up the library and the surrounding halls. They collected the most valuable furniture, paintings, statues, porcelains into the blocked-up rooms, which survived war times in their own places, oppositely to the furnishment of other Hungarian castles” writes Helikon Castle Museum on their website.

Cistercian Monumental Library, Zirc