Study spaces can be hard to find… Coffee shops can be great, however, they can be quite distracting, especially when you’re with your friends. The outdoors can be a beautiful space to relax, until there’s traffic or classes let out and students flood the streets. In my opinion, old museums and libraries are probably the most dreamed-about study spaces. Here are some dream study spaces that have literally caught my eye.
Strahov Library in Prague, Czechia
This library, located in Prague, has a grand display of murals painted along the ceiling and walls of its library. Going off this aesthetic, they also used darker wood, which would be perfect for the dark academia girls. Looking through pictures of this library, makes me sad that there is nothing close to this in Canada. The Czech Republic also has books in the library that have not yet been translated to English and are still in Latin, which is very interesting to see.
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Niterói, Brazil
This museum is the most modern of them all by being built in 1996. This museum is known for its architecture and landscape. The museum itself is shaped as a disc and well perched up on a cliff over top of a lake. In addition to being in the museum, the outside is filled with beautiful views that are aesthetic and peaceful. This museum in Rio is known for holding lots of fashion shows, given the architectural view of a flower.
The State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Russia
This museum in St. Petersburg looks like a Victorian-style mansion, which draws millions of people in each year. The style is a green and white mansion lined with hints of gold, which draws you back to the Victorian era. This museum also holds the title as having the largest exhibit of paintings – which is 16,000. With that being said, you could spend the whole day drinking coffee, tea or matcha, and studying…or being distracted by the beautiful paintings.
Abbey Library of St. Gall in St. Gallen, Switzerland
This library has a massive collection of science research from the 18th century. The museum at Southwest is speculated to have been built around 820 CE and is decorated to be a Baroque-style dancing hall. The library itself is furnished with light hardwood and lots of windows. The ceiling is most unique as it has a white and gold crown moulding with a mural in the middle. This library is considered a historical site, therefore, there is no rush in exploring its beauty and history.
Edinburgh Museum, Scotland
This museum is a little more achievable to visit to instead of travelling all the way to Switzerland. There’s a beautiful museum in Edinburgh, Scotland, called the Edinburgh Museum. This Glass Museum was built in 1780 and although it’s not the oldest, it’s similar in nature to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) with it being moved several times and being renovated to a more modern-looking structure.
Although these beautiful libraries and museums are the perfect study spaces, the biggest problem is the distance. However, if you wanted to study abroad, my advice would be to pick a place that has a beautiful library that will motivate you to study!