Talk about your book porn! Gaze on this:
The man in the photo is Jeffrey Martin and the camera you see behind him was used to take nearly 3000 shots in this room over the course of five days, which were then assembled into a 360º panoramic view of the inside of this library, the Strahov monastery library. The whole shebang weighs in (if pixels can be said to weigh anything) at 283 GB! When he left at night he left the camera there, all set up, saying for once his camera was the least valuable thing in the room. That can only begin to hint at what’s housed here. To say ‘rare books’ is a gross oversimplification. If I get busted for putting the photo up, it’ll go away, but go read the article on Wired.com and check out a few more photos, along with a link to the final, clickable, zoomable product.
fillingspaces.wordpress.com 
Now that’s a library! 🙂
Look at the lovely gilt balustrade and the wreaths under the mezzanine. And the patterned cupola over the door! Magificent! 🙂
If I ever finish my baroque style fantasy story, I’ll add those details to a room.
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It’s just breathtaking. Did you pull up the panoramic view? The ceiling is incredible. Apparently we’re better off viewing this way as it’s so high up if you were really there you wouldn’t be able to see the details like this. And all those lovely books… Another reason not to give up paper books. Small treasures, each and every one.
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Excuse my language, but that is one hell of a library! My goodness it is truly magnificent! I would love to sleep in this room (not on the floor, lol). Did you seen that some books were protected by a glass shield?
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Might be a little chilly for a sleep-over 🙂 It sounds like it’s not heated, which I’m sure helps preserve the books. What a shame there will probably never be that kind of artistic effort put into any building ever again. Can you imagine the outrage over the cost of a project like that? Different times, different values.
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Oh yeah I forgot about the heat. In old movies they have fire place in room like these. Okay no sleep over for me, lol. But in all seriousness the place is very beautiful.
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We live in the Dark Ages – god forbid we spend money on books and libraries…
I want to be buried there. It’s absolutely incredible. I can’t imagine what it’s like to wonder around the room, leaf through some books….
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And even more intriguing, who gets granted that privilege? 🙂 Oh well, at least we now get to see what it looks like anyway.
And truly, with all the moaning about the terrible state of education (at least here in the U.S.) you’d think some significance would be placed on books, libraries, schools, and learning in general.
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In the U.S. the people carrying on about the state of education all want to eliminate beneifts for teachers, justify all the time kids waste online, and brag about how many of them did well, choosing the most right answers on standardized multiple choice tests. How this is supposed to help America compete in the world market is beyond me.
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Everybody’s benefits are disappearing, trust me, the private sector is no better. Medical is expensive for employees, dental and vision almost non-existent, 3 days off sick and you go on disability (pay cut). Corporations ‘lay-off’ older workers before they can hit full retirement age and qualify for benefits. There is no one sleazier than Corporate America (’cause hell, how are the CEOs supposed to afford their new condos in Manhattan? Get their multi-million dollar bonuses?). Funding for more school programs, reinstating arts, music, all the stuff they’ve been cutting for the last 40 years might go a long way to improving things.
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It’s so pretty *drools*
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You know what was almost too much for me to even take in was that FLOOR. The inlaid parquetry is ASTOUNDING. There’s just nothing done these days with that kind of detail.
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I’m with Monica. That would be a great place to be buried. Not that I’d be resting. 😉
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You know, that’d be quite the place to spend your afterlife. And just think:You’d finally have all the time you need to read all those books!
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