Austrian National Library, Hofburg Palace, Vienna
The Austrian National Library is housed in the Hofburg Palace, which was the historic seat of power for the Habsburg family. Decorated in an explosion of Baroque colour, the library is abundant in its decoration, with metres-tall bookshelves and luxurious ornaments. The walls are curvaceous, and the imposing statue of Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI looms large underneath the large ceiling fresco. A building inseparable from the history of the family that commissioned it, the library is now an unusual combination of public access and architecture demonstrative of private wealth.
Austrian National Library, Josefsplatz 1, Vienna, Austria+ 43 1 53410
