✨ Rio Bucket List! One of the World's Most Stunning Libraries 📚💎

The Royal Portuguese Reading Room (Real Gabinete Português de Leitura), located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was named by TIME magazine as one of the most beautiful libraries in the world! 🌍🏆 Home to over 350,000 books—mostly Portuguese literature—it's a treasure trove for book lovers and history buffs alike. 📜 Rare & Priceless Collections • The 1572 first edition of Os Lusíadas (the epic Portuguese poem by Luís de Camões) • 16th-century manuscripts and handwritten letters from famous Portuguese authors ✍️ • A gold-leaf altar dedicated to Portugal’s explorers and literary giants 🏛️ A Palace of Knowledge Built in 1888 by Portuguese architect Rafael da Silva e Castro, the library was designed in Manueline style—a uniquely Portuguese Gothic architecture inspired by the Age of Discovery (think ropes, sea creatures, and navigational tools carved into stone!). • The facade is a masterpiece—crafted in Lisbon from royal stone and shipped to Rio. • Four statues guard its entrance: Pedro Álvares Cabral (discoverer of Brazil), Luís de Camões (author of Os Lusíadas), Prince Henry the Navigator, and Vasco da Gama (who found the sea route to India). 💡 Inside the Reading Room • A stunning chandelier and cast-iron skylight—the first of its kind in Brazil! ☀️ • Wooden bookshelves soaring to the ceiling, filled with centuries of wisdom. 🇧🇷 A Symbol of History & Independence Founded in 1837 by Portuguese political refugees, the library was meant to preserve Portuguese culture in newly independent Brazil (which broke free from Portugal in 1822 under Emperor Pedro I). 📸 Photo Tip: The golden light filtering through the skylight makes this place a photographer’s dream! #LibraryLovers #MostBeautifulLibraries #Portugal #BrazilTravel #RioDeJaneiro #Wanderlust