The place where you can find any information about the history and culture of the country is the library. In Portugal, libraries are not just a warehouse of books, but also real museums.
If you are not planning to spend time reading, visit the following Portuguese libraries to appreciate the architectural delights.
Biblioteca Joanina
The Joanina Library is located at the University of Coimbra, next to the university tower. It was named after the Portuguese King João V, during whose reign the library was built (in the XVIII century).
The library consists of three rooms: red, blue and olive, which are separated by decorative arches. In each room there are two-story bookshelves. The walls of the library are very thick, and the doors are made of teak wood. Thus, it helps to maintain a certain temperature inside so that insects do not appear in oak bookshelves.
The elements of the decorative design of the library’s interior are made in the Baroque style. The hallmark of it is the abundance of gilded details. Tables are made of pink and ebony tree.
The leather bindings of books, as well as the leather upholstery of armchairs and leather wallpapers, have been preserved since its founding. In addition, the furniture in the halls is made of exotic woods covered with gilding.
The library was designed and built by the Frenchman Claude Leparde, who was invited by the Portuguese monarch. The interior of the library uses the chinoiserie technique – imitation of Chinese gold painting on wood.Also, the Joanina Library has a large collection of books, which is actively used by students and university teachers.
Among this collection there are rare instances, such as one of the 20 ancient Jewish Bibles that survived during the Inquisition.
Library of Mafra
According to the American portal Book Riot, the Library of the National Palace in Mafra is considered the most beautiful library in the world. The library has a mosaic floor of white, gray and pink marble, bookshelves made in the Rococo style and located along the walls of the building.
Also, the design of the library hall itself also deserves attention. The Mafra Palace Library is designed in such a way that both winter and summer it maintains optimum temperature and humidity for books.
Moreover, the method of preserving old books from dampness, insects and other types of damage adds a special touch to the library. At least 500 bats live in the building! In the daytime they hide in cages, and fly at night in the hall and catch small animals and rodents.
Also known that bats eat 2 times more insects than their own weight. Besides, there are rumors that at night, rats also come here through a secret tunnel that helps fight with insects.
Livraria Lello
Livraria Lello is one of Porto’s main cultural attractions. Lello is a temple of literature and art, originated as a bookstore, is still active today. It is proud to develop interest in books among Porto residents and visitors from all over the world.The history of the store is also the story of two Lello brothers who opened the store in 1906.
The brothers were among the active intellectual representatives of the bourgeoisie. Also, they sought to participate in public life, industrial and cultural development of the city.Moreover, the bookstore gained particular popularity after the release of the Harry Potter movie.
From 1991 to 1993, the writer Joan Rowling lived in Porto, taught English at a local school. To forget herself after mother’s death, she wrote the first chapters of the Harry Potter book. One of the favorite places for creativity was the coffee shop in Lello’s store. Perhaps, the bookstore became the prototype of the Hogwarts library.In 2010, Lonely Planet, the world’s most famous travel guide, awarded Lello Store third place among the most beautiful bookstores in the world. Unexpected success led to the fact that crowds of tourists rushed to the store.
They rushed not for books. They wanted to look at the design and prototype of the Hogwarts library. Since 2013, the store management was forced to introduce an entrance fee to preserve the interiors. Tourists invested money in the overhaul of the building.
Thereby, the roof was repaired, facades and glass ceilings were restored.The restoration of the Lello bookstore, which lasted several years, was completed on July 30, 2016. As well as, it coincide with the release of the new Harry Potter and the Cursed Child book.
National Library of Portugal
We left the most important library in Portugal for dessert. Of course, we will talk about the National Library, which is located in the campus of the University of Lisbon. This library was opened in the 18th century as a court library and has moved several times since then.
After the Portuguese Civil War, books from many Portuguese monasteries joined the court collection. At the same time, the library was named National. As a result, the storage required a more spacious room. This is how the transfer of cultural wealth began. From the Praça do Comércio (Commerce Square) it moved to the São Francisco monastery, from there moved to the University of Lisbon.
Finally, in 1969, a special building for the National Library was completed. Books, manuscripts, icons and music have found their permanent home.
The National Library of Portugal is the largest library in the country and a prestigious cultural institution. The documentation that is kept in the library covers all eras, all types and subjects.
In those ancient times, only scholars and sages could get access to books. Therefore, the creation of the library opened up the opportunity of access to the general public. But the most important undertaking within the walls of the National Library was the digitization of all stored material. Thus, anyone can access the archives of the library via the Internet!
The staff of the National Library is still hunting for rare items and trying to replenish the storage. The expenses are compensated by the visitors. That is, to use the library, you need to issue an annual subscription. In any case, it is worth a lot to visit the building of the National Library, which keep books several hundred times older than us.
Conclusion
In the entire history of mankind, a more perfect way of storing data has not yet been invented than a library, therefore, as long as people need knowledge, these repositories will exist.
In the libraries of Portugal, you will truly feel that it is a country with a rich history, full of discovery and achievement. Portugal is not only about wine and pastel de nata, did you guess?