Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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King John's Library
—One of Europe's best surviving Baroque libraries, this grand
building displays 30,000 topics in 18th-century splendor. The zealous doorkeeper locks
the door at every opportunity to keep out humidity. Buzz (on left) to get into this temple
of thought. While ticket-sellers are quick to issue entry times requiring a long wait, you're
likely to get in early if you humbly ask the attendant if you can enter now. Once you've
received permission to enter, you might still have to wait outside a while, as other groups
finish their 10-minute visits (followed by a 10-minute closure to control humidity level).
Inside, at the “high altar,” stands the library's founder, the absolute monarch King John V
(1698-1750), who considered France's King Louis XIV an inspiration.
The reading tables, inlaid with exotic South American woods (and ornamented with
silver ink wells), and the precious wood shelves (with clever hideaway staircases) are re-
minders that Portugal's wealth was great—and imported. Built Baroque, the interior is all
wood. Even the “marble” on the arches of triumph that divide the library into rooms is
just painted wood. (Real marble would add to the humidity.) The resident bats—which
live in the building, but not the library itself—are well cared for and appreciated. They
eat insects, providing a chemical-free way of protecting the topics, and alert the guard to
changing weather with their “eee-eee” cry. Look for the trompe l'oeil Baroque tricks on
the painted ceiling. Gold leaf (from Brazil) is everywhere, and the Chinese themes are
pleasantly reminiscent of Portugal's once vast empire. The topics, each dating from be-
