The humble library dates back as far as 2600 BC when archives of clay tablets written in cuneiformthe earliest form of writingwere assembled in temples to preserve the knowledge they contained. As civilizations and cultures have grown, so have our librariescultural and learning centres available to everyone for the preservation of history and the betterment of mankind.

A modern ode to knowledge.

Thankfully, their significance and value has rarely been underestimated and as such the world is now blessed with some truly mighty libraries that house not only books, but every type of information storage from newspapers and magazines to music, films, maps, manuscripts and much more. As often as not, the buildings themselves are testaments to our history and majesty equally worthy of exploration and admiration, from vast ancient vaults to towering modernist masterpieces.

Which is why holiday rental search engine Holidu has curated a list of ten European classics worthy of a spot on any visitors bucket list.

Wirtschaftsuniversitt Bibliothek hard to say but beautiful to look at.

Vienna, Austria

While a university library for economics may not leap out as a holiday hotspot, this one is well worth your time. Figuratively overshadowed by Viennas beautiful and more famous Baroque national library, this modernist masterpiece is every bit as storied and extraordinary.

A short walk from the Danube on the university campus, youd be hard pressed to see how this extraordinary six-story edifice of angles, modernism, glass and curves could date back to the librarys inception in 1898. But a 2005 arson attack brought a fresh renovation from the studio of Zaha Hadid Architects. The result is a sensory experience - huge and looming on the outside thanks to its spectacular glass overhang, inside is a futuristic mass of sinuous curving walkways and plays on natural and artificial light.

Catalog: 745,797 books, 59,006 e-books, 1,014 newspapers, 18,116 e-journals, 119 databases

Opening hours: all week from 8am-8pm

With its glass roof and botanical garden, Warsaw's university library is much more than a temple to ... [+] books.

Warsaw, Poland

The Polish capitals university library was founded in 1816 but is another building that emerged from the flames - this time of the damage suffered during World War II - as a beautiful and unique architectural wonder.

Designed by architects Marek Budzyski and Zbigniew Badowski, the new library opened in December 1999 having been blessed six months previously by Pope John Paul II. Its long curving patinated copper facade on Dobra Street features huge blocks of classical texts in scripts including Old Polish and Classical Greek. Its most captivating feature has to be its rooftop botanical garden, one of the largest in Europe, designed by landscape architect Irena Bajerska. Open to everyone it covers four areas offering wonderful views over the Vistula River.

Catalog: 350,000 volumes

Opening hours: all week from 9am-9pm

A black cube on the outside, a snaking curvy white space within.

Copenhagen, Denmark

The Danish capitals Royal Library is affectionately referred to as the Black Diamond and it certainly commands attention, teetering harborside overlooking the Strait of resund. A neo-modern black granite cube hewn through with a vast angular glass atrium, it commands its place as one of Copenhagens most important buildings.

Internally its seven floors blend modern arena space with more traditional library reading rooms, connected by walkways and escalators like arteries keeping the building alive. Keep an eye on the events schedule too, where concerts and plays are performed to crowds of up to 600 on the terrace.

Catalog: 200,000 volumes

Opening hours: all week from 9am-7pm

The Central Library Oodi may only be a year old but is already staking its place among the world's ... [+] best.

Helsinki, Finland

A calling card for Finish architecture, the extravagant and eccentric Oodi is one of the worlds newest libraries, inaugurated at the end of 2018 and perfectly located for an easy visit near the city centre. Created by local firm ALA Architects, it was designed functionally and aesthetically as the perfect public space.

Organized into three distinct and stylized floors, the ground floor is an active space, the top floor a peaceful space and an enclosed middle floor targeted to more specific functions and services. Outside, its wave-like organic shape is clad entirely in spruce to soften and blend with its surroundings in Tl Bay and make it energy efficient.

Catalog: 100,000 books (in 17 languages), newspapers, films and video games

Opening hours: midweek 8am-10pm / weekend 10am-8pm

The heart of Stadtbibliothek Stuttgart.

Stuttgart, Germany

Standing at 40 meters tall (around 130 feet), Stuttgarts public library simple uniform white monolith towers over Mailnder Platz. Studded with glass blocks, it stands an unpretentious gray white in the day but at night comes to life, glowing an iridescent blue making it a spectacular after dark attraction.

Its Korean architect Euo Young Yi wanted its closed, plain exterior to mask another world within. Step inside and you enter a huge hallway reaching upwards 14 meters (45 feet) to an overhead window that floods the space with light. Called the heart, this huge open space is designed to offset the everyday hustle and bustle. Its embrace of everything international is symbolized by the simple inscription of the word library on each of its four walls in English, German, Korean and Arabic.

Catalog: 500,000 volumes

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 9am-6pm

The Neo-Gothic John Rylands library has more than a hint of the Harry Potter about it.

Manchester, UK

Described by many of its visitors as like something from Harry Potter, the extraordinary John Rylands Library in Manchester is a classic example of Neo-Gothic architecture. Founded in 1889 by Enriqueta Ryland in memory of her late husband, it took ten years to build before opening to the public in 1900.

Architect Basil Champneys design can only be described as sumptuous. His high vaulted ceiling Reading Room is a haven of calm embellished with extraordinary detail from the huge stained glass windows to a series of portraits and sculptures detailing the intellectual and artistic history of mankind. Reading alcoves are lit by oriel windows, perfect spots to peruse the extensive book catalog.

Catalog: 1.4 million items

Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday 10am-5pm / Monday to Sunday 12-5pm

The Admont Abbey library extravagant.

Admont, Austria

In the heart of Austria sits the largest monastery library in the world, sometimes described as the Eighth Wonder of the World. And not without good reason. Architect Josef Huebers 1776 concept was the Enlightenment, and his ingenious vaulted dome design complete with 48 windows was all about achieving brightness, which was equated with knowledge.

That light is made the most of in the outrageous Baroque styling. Every inch is covered, from elaborate gold leaf to spectacular frescoes showing the different stages of human knowledge up to the divine revelation detailed in the central dome. The four spectacular bronze statues in the main hall represent death, the resurrection, hell and paradise.

Catalog: 200,000 volumes

Opening hours: all week from 10am-5pm

The Kloster Wiblingen also extravagant.

Ulm, Germany

Wiblingen Abbey was once a Benedictine monastery dating back to 1093 and sits on the confluence of the Danube and Iller rivers. Today it houses several departments of the medical faculty of the University of Ulm and is home to a breathtaking library thats one of the best examples of Rococo Art anywhere in the world.

Set in the monasterys north wing, the 72-meter (236 foot) long library is richly decorated in frescoes, statues and exquisitely detailed and colorful marble columns. When youre there, make sure to visit the abbey church as well, which is every bit as breathtaking.

Catalog: 9,000

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10am-5pm

The Biblioteca Marciana, surely one of the most satisfying structures in Italian architectural ... [+] history.'

Venice, Italy

No trip to the canal city would be complete without a visit to the Biblioteca Marciana, one of the largest and most prestigious libraries in the world. Occupying a vast site in St Marks Square since its completion in 1588 (more than 200 years after its initial proposal), it holds one of the most important collections of Greek, Latin and Oriental manuscripts in the world.

Designed by Jacopo Sansovino, its a key example of Venetian Renaissance architecture and was described by Frederick Hartt as surely one of the most satisfying structures in Italian architectural history. Once youve explored its treasures, make sure to grab a coffee in the square outside and take the time to admire it in all its glory.

Catalog: 622,804 volumes, 2,887 incunabula, 13,113 manuscripts, 24,069 sixteenth- century manuscripts

Opening hours: during the week 8:20am - 7pm / weekend 8:20am - 1:30pm

The Sainte-Genevieve houses a huge arched reading room.

Paris, France

Frances capital isnt exactly short of amazing buildings, even after the tragic fire that hit Notre Dame last year, but the beautiful Sainte-Genevive Library in the fifth arrondissement is worth making time for.

Completed in 1850 by architect Henri Labrouste, its exterior while attractive isnt really an ode to the delights within. Of particular interest is that the building doesnt conform to any one architectural style, defining it as, of free interpretation. The main facade is in the Neo-Renaissance style, fronting a long oblong reading room thats deceptively simple looking inside two vast naves supported by elaborate wrought iron columns lit from on high by a series of arched windows. Engraved on its walls are the names of its most famous authors.

Catalog: 1.5 million volumes, 85,000 manuscripts, 15,000 periodicals, 87 databases

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 2pm-6pm

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Ten Of The World's Most Beautiful Modern And Old School Libraries - Forbes