National library with an extra roof.

National Library

Athens

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One of the neoclassical 'trilogy' of buildings on Panepistimio, the late-19th-century National Library is a dazzling design by Danish architect Theophil Hansen. Serious academic researchers can gain access to the amazing interior; otherwise, visiting here is restricted to a quick peep in the entry hall and a photo op on the grand sweeping staircase.

The bulk of the library's holdings – such as an original codex of the Gospel of Matthew and a vast collection of theatre archives – has been transferred to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center.

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