Welsh literary history is preserved in the delicate pages of these medieval manuscripts.

With its vaulted ceiling and gilded details, this University of Washington library would feel right at home inside an old palace.

This once-derelict building is now one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world.

Though its celestial ceiling is impressive, the true star is the vast collection of French books.

The city of Parma's cathedral is home to one of the greatest illusionistic frescoes of the Renaissance.

A renovated schoolhouse that highlights the history of Clarke County's Black community.

Medieval museum built over Roman baths that features famous tapestries of a lady and a unicorn.

Everything from alchemy books to building plans for the Eiffel Tower are housed inside this museum.

An atmospheric, medieval-themed book store hides in a 13th-century underground space.

Legend has it that Napoleon Bonaparte fell in love with this Gothic church.

A 19th century artistocrat's mansion, turned into a library, hidden in a modern library.

This old medieval prison tower has been a site of astronomical research for more than 250 years.

The oldest botanical garden in the world that technically isn't the oldest.

Built to repay the sins of the father, this church is home to one of the most valuable works of Western art.

A museum dedicated to one of Portugal's most celebrated writers.

Five ancient libraries, little changed for centuries, preserve a medieval archive of Quranic lore and civic documents

A museum that chronicles the history of the Nuremberg Trials for Nazi war criminals in the building where the trials were once held.

This small museum located under the famous cube houses, is home to some 30,000 chess pieces.

More than 1,000 stone figures were discovered in a small Nigerian town, where they had been sitting for centuries.

A gorgeous medieval library where the books are kept in chains.

A skeleton without arms watches over the side door of one of the most beautiful baroque temples in Mexico.

A 150-square-foot masterpiece of American landscape art is the crown jewel of this library and art gallery in Vermont.

The steepest tramway in North America provides stunning views of the out-of-the-way Wallowa Mountains in northeastern Oregon.

This historic, palatial theater is now one of the world’s most beautiful bookstores.