Visiting the Abbey Library of Saint Gall
The Abbey Library of Saint Gall in St. Gallen, Switzerland is a must-visit for book lovers.
Ever since I heard about this beautiful library tucked away in a historic library in a small town in Switzerland, I wanted to see it. The Abbey Library of Saint Gall is more than just a pretty place, though.
It’s one of the oldest libraries in the world, founded during the 8th century. For many centuries, it was the most important center of knowledge and culture in Europe, a bastion of light throughout the Dark Ages and the medieval era. Today, the library holds more than 160,000 volumes, many of them very old.
In fact, the library possesses the largest collection of incunabula (books printed before 1500) in the world, with 1,650 volumes, as well as more than 2,000 manuscripts dating from the 8th to 15th centuries.
Because of its significance in history, the abbey and its library were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you love books, this is an amazing destination that you definitely should not miss!
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting the Abbey Library of Saint Gall:
Getting There
The Abbey Library of Saint Gall is located in St. Gallen, Switzerland. This medium-sized city has a population of more than 165,000 people, with a quaint and compact historic center where the abbey is.
The closest big city to St. Gallen is Zurich. You can easily visit St. Gallen on a day trip by train from Zurich, which is what I did. It takes exactly one hour to get to St. Gallen by train, and the same goes for driving.
If you’re taking the train, you can book tickets on Omio, which is what I always use for train travel in Europe. Individual train tickets in Switzerland are expensive, though, so you might want to look into the Swiss Travel Pass if you’ll be doing enough train travel throughout the country to make it worth it.
Once you arrive in St. Gallen, it’s just a ten-minute walk to the abbey and its library.
Tickets & Opening Hours
The Abbey of Saint Gall is free to visit (the church building itself), but you will need tickets to enter the Abbey Library of Saint Gall. Your ticket also includes admission to two other exhibition spaces.
Tickets can be purchased online in advance (which is what I did) or when you arrive.
Tickets are 18 CHF ($22.50) for adults, 12 CHF ($15) for students, and free for children aged 16 and under. Admission is also free if you have the Swiss Travel Pass (as well as many other museums.)
Opening hours are every day from 10 AM until 5 PM. The library and exhibition spaces are occasionally closed for holidays or renovation works, so be sure to check the schedule online before you go.
It’s possible to book a private tour on Mondays and Fridays to enter the library at 9 AM before it officially opens. You can find the contact info on the website for arranging this unique experience.
Visiting the Library
When you arrive at the Abbey of Saint Gall, you will find signs directing you to the library entrance. I was surprised to discover that the library is located in a building that also houses a boys’ school.
There were a bunch of rowdy kids running around when I first entered the building where the library is, which surprised me at first. I was expecting more of a quiet and, well, library-like atmosphere. But when you think about the ancient pursuit of learning at the monastery, it makes sense that it’s carried on!
Although I found the entrance a bit underwhelming, once you arrive upstairs, you can enter the actual library. This is not the full extent of the library, though — all 160,000 volumes of the collection are housed across multiple buildings in the abbey complex. But visitors can see the beautiful Rococo library hall.
This space was constructed between 1758 and 1767 by the acclaimed Rococo architect Peter Thumb, and houses two levels of rare and historic books, as well as unique artifacts and curiosities.
You can spend at least half an hour in the library hall browsing what’s on display there, and then another hour or so checking out the other exhibitions (one of which is in the vaulted cellar of the library building, and the other of which is located in another building that’s part of the abbey complex.)
Things to Know Before You Go
Before you enter the library, you’ll need to check your bag in free lockers at the ticket office.
You’ll also need to put on felt slippers before you can enter the library in order to protect the floors. I was glad to be able to enter the library, because it’s not possible to do so at some other historic libraries in Europe. For instance, the Strahov Monastery Library and the Klementium Library, both in Prague, only allow you to peek into the magnificent library halls through an open door in order to preserve them.
The solution of wearing slippers and being able to freely explore this library was much better!
I recommend arriving right when the library opens so you can be the first to go inside. I actually arrived a little after 10 AM, but it was a quiet weekday in December, and so I still had the library hall to myself for about five minutes before anyone else came in, which was great for taking some photos of the space.
If you’re hungry, there’s a little cafe called the Klosterbistro that is right outside the library.
Other Things to Do in St. Gallen
While you’re at the abbey, you obviously can’t miss the main church building. The St. Gallen Cathedral was built around the same time as the library hall. The architect Peter Thumb also designed the interior of this church, so you’ll feel the similarities in its beautiful, over-the-top Rococo style.
You should also be sure to visit the other two exhibition spaces that are included with your library ticket. These exhibitions go more in-depth about the history of the library, the abbey, and St. Gallen.
Now, I’ll be honest, I didn’t find there to be much else to do in St. Gallen. Since I was visiting in December, there was a small but nice Christmas market going on in a square right by the abbey.
If you go in the summer, you can head up to a hill above town to the Drei Weieren, three manmade ponds that were originally built for the monastery’s water needs, but are now popular swimming spots.
You could also do a guided tour like this one, which includes admission to the library, plus a knowledgeable local guide who will show you around the historic center of St. Gallen for 1.5 hours.
But you don’t need a full day in St. Gallen. This is more of a half-day trip. You can arrive in the morning to visit the abbey and library, have lunch, and spend some time walking around before heading back.
The Abbey Library of Saint Gall: A Must-Visit for Book Lovers
Hopefully you found this guide to visiting the Abbey Library of Saint Gall helpful!
St. Gallen is the perfect destination for a half-day trip from Zurich, and if you love books, this is a place that you definitely should not miss. It’s one of the most significant historic libraries in the world.
Not to mention, it’s extremely beautiful too. Enjoy your visit!
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