Trinity College & Book of Kells

Trinity College Dublin (TCD, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I) is Ireland's oldest and most prestigious university — and in the heart of the city, a place of peace and beauty. Behind the heavy gates at College Green, a sprawling campus with manicured lawns, Georgian buildings, and an atmosphere that instantly transports you to another time opens up. Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, Bram Stoker, and Jonathan Swift studied here.

The absolute star of the campus is the Book of Kells — an illuminated gospel book created by Irish monks around 800 AD, considered one of the world's most precious books. The intricate decorations — interwoven Celtic knots, fantastic animal figures, vibrant colors from minerals and plant extracts — are of a detail that is barely perceptible to the naked eye. Two pages are displayed each day, so you see something different with every visit.

The exhibition begins with an informative introduction to the book's creation and history before you stand before the original pages. Then you enter the Long Room — and here, everyone catches their breath. This 65-meter-long library with its vaulted oak ceilings houses 200,000 of Trinity College's oldest books. Busts of great thinkers and writers line the hall, and the atmosphere is so reverent that even groups of children fall silent. George Lucas was inspired by it for the Jedi Archives in Star Wars.