Nationalbibliothek

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  • Address
    Hofburg, Josefsplatz 1, 1st District, Innere Stadt
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  • Phone
    534 10 0
  • Website
  • Transport
    underground rail: U3 Herrengasse
bus: 2A, 3A

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Lonely Planet review

The Nationalbibliothek (National Library), once the imperial library, is now the largest library in Vienna. The main attraction is the Prunksaal (Grand Hall). Commissioned by Charles VI, this baroque hall was the brainchild of Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, who died the year the first brick was laid, and finished by his son Joseph in 1735. It holds some 200,000 volumes - its sheer size is breathtaking. Leather-bound tomes line the walls.

Rare ancient volumes (mostly 15th-century) are stored within glass cabinets, with pages opened to beautifully drawn sections of text. A statue of Charles VI, looking like the hall's guardian, stands under the central church-like dome, which itself has a fresco by Daniel Gran depicting the emperor's apotheosis.