Biblioteca Joanina

The Biblioteca Joanina is the Baroque ceremonial library of the University of Coimbra, commissioned by King João V and completed in 1728. Its three interconnected halls form one of the finest surviving examples of Portuguese Late Baroque interior design: gilded wood shelving rises to trompe-l'œil frescoed ceilings, and blue-tiled plinths anchor the room in Coimbra's distinctive azulejo tradition. The library is part of the University of Coimbra's UNESCO World Heritage designation. Its most singular feature is biological rather than architectural: a resident colony of bats has inhabited the library for centuries, hunting book-destroying insects by night. Each morning, staff lay out leather mats beneath the shelves to catch droppings and protect the manuscripts — a conservation quirk that has endured to this day. Guided visits offer access to all three main halls and the collection of roughly 250,000 volumes spanning the 16th to 18th centuries.