Stift Admont Library – most beautiful library in Austria

 “Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life”. Sidney Sheldon

With excitement and joy for finally arriving to the Styrian village Admont, which was not planned for that lazy November day, we are walking through the modernized premises of the abbey museum. Almost running through the minimalist corridor, we arrive to the big doors with the library sign. With a slight disbelief, of what will await for us behind the doors of this contemporary interiors, we stand for a while in hesitation. As the door opens, we stare in awe, because it just felt as if we were stepping in another universe. Here she is – Stift Admont Library, the largest monastery library hall in the world, and the most gorgeous hall we have ever seen. The elegant shelves with golden details, the pastel fresco ceiling, that seductive scent of thousands of books, those ladders and the wonderful light, making this surreal library even more stunning.

We walk around in silence, looking everywhere around us, trying to soak up this endless beauty. And as the other visitors leave the hall, we get a few precious moments to have all this space just for ourselves. And the guardian of course. 😀 At that instance, we start snapping hundreds of pictures, almost in panic to capture every single angle we wanted, before some stranger enters the library and interrupts this unforgettable moment in time. As soon as the other group of visitors starts invading, we slowly leave, even though we deeply inside wish, we would have stayed there longer.

There is a very special feeling when you are in an old library, that fascinating aura around books and a veil of mystery. It makes me think, is there a hidden passage or some rare book, conveying forbidden knowledge? I wish I could climb those wooden ladders and reach for a book, feel its scent and turn the pages. As that is not allowed, I take pictures. And every time I look at them, it makes me feel as if I was back there. Alone, browsing through the books and searching for that secret room.

I hope that my pictures will make you feel the splendid atmosphere of this fascinating library, at least for a second. Before you of course, go there yourself. For us, this was the first time, but certainly not the last.

xoxo,
Una

PS: For more information about Stift Admont library, click here.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The first version of this post was published in 2015. I decided to put it to the front page, just to remind our readers of this gorgeous place, that you should visit, if you get the chance! And will try to update the post with some new images, because as I said in 2015 this was not the last visit to Stift Admont. It truly is gorgeous and worth returning. 🙂