At Libreria Acqua Alta in Venice, Italy, part of the store's infrastructure is built from old books. Ihor Serdyukov/Shutterstock Bookstores have been built in unexpected places, including bank vaults and former bomb shelters. Others are significant for their beauty, whether it's from architecture or environmental conditions. Some bookstores in Europe have histories dating back multiple centuries. No two bookstores are exactly the same, but some shops around the world are truly unique in their identities. Some bookstores are built in surprising places, like the store Boekhandel Dominicanen, built in a 700-year-old church in Maastricht, Netherlands. Other shops have found homes in unexpected places, such as former banks and car dealerships. Then there are shops with storied histories, most commonly found in Europe. In Paris, used book vendors line the sides of the Seine River, while other stores have been visited by literary heroes, including Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. See some of the most unique bookstores in the world, renowned for their history, architecture, and surprising locations. The Paddy Field Bookstore is located in an abandoned house on a paddy field in Xiadi, China. The Xiadi village where the Paddy Field Book Store is located is over 800 years old. Chen Hao The Xiadi village is over 800 years old and contains 60 dilapidated buildings. Structures, including the bookstore, have been restored by volunteers rather than torn down. All that remains of the original building is the outer rammed-earth walls. The bookstore stocks over 7,500 titles. It also has a café that overlooks the paddy fields and the village. The store is owned by the chain Librairie Avant-Garde. Chen Hao Owned by the chain Librairie Avant-Garde, the shop has a wide selection with an emphasis on subjects such as ancient villages, rural education, and agricultural civilizations. The Paddy Field Bookstore also holds art exhibitions, theater shows, and live music acts throughout the year. This boat in London has been turned into a floating bookstore called Word on the Water. Word on the Water in London operates on a 1920s Dutch barge. Sam Mellish/Getty Images The shop operates out of a 1920s Dutch barge on Regents Canal, according to Atlas Obscura. Started by Paddy Screech, Jonathan Privett, and Stephane Chaudat, the shop originally alternated locations because of canal regulations, but after a vocal public campaign, the bookstore was given a permanent spot. During the winter months, the inside of the barge offers a refuge from low temperatures. A permanent spot was given to Word on the Water, in part because of public outcry. Sam Mellish/Getty Images The bookstore has a range of books, from cult classics to modern bestsellers.  El Ateneo Grand Splendid is inside a historic theater in Buenos Aires, Argentina. El Ateneo Grand Splendid was built in 1919. Ricardo Ceppi/Getty Images Since its creation in 1919, the Grand Splendid has been a performing-arts theater, a cinema, and now a bookstore, per Condé Nast Traveler. The building still maintains much of the architecture and decor from when it was first built, including a red curtain stage, theater boxes, and balconies. The building was in danger of being torn down before it became a bookstore. Grupo Ilhsa signed a lease at Grand Splendid in 2000. Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Grupo Ilhsa, a popular book chain, swooped in and saved the building from destruction when they signed a lease in 2000. The bookstore's musical roots aren't completely lost: it often hosts live performances by pianists. In 2019, Grand Splendid was named "the world's most beautiful bookstore" by National Geographic. The Last Bookstore in Los Angeles is housed in a former bank. Piles of cash have been replaced by piles of books. The Last Bookstore in Los Angeles is the most Instagrammed bookstore in the world. 1000Photography/Shutterstock The store is designed to be explored. Bookshelves have been randomly placed throughout the store. A selection of hardbacks have been arranged by color rather than author. Used and damaged books have been stacked in a variety of ways.  Per Time Out, the shop is the most Instagrammed bookstore in the world. Remnants of the bank's architecture remain in the store. The bank vault still remains in the store. Carlos Gandiaga/Shutterstock Visitors will notice design touches such as marble pillars and a high ceiling. If customers look hard enough, they'll stumble across the bank vault in the back … but it's now stocked with books. Munro's Books, a large independent bookstore in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, is also located inside a former bank. Roshan_NG/Shutterstock The bookstore, which opened more than 60 years ago, was founded by Nobel Prize-winning author Alice Munro and her husband. The building where the shop is located was designed to be the Royal Bank of Canada, according to the store. The title of the largest independent bookstore in the world may belong to Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon. Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon, might be the largest independent bookstore in the world. Michael Gordon/Shutterstock Powell's Books has multiple locations across Portland and the surrounding area, but its main location draws the most eyes with its movie-theater-style sign advertising upcoming events. Opened in 1979, the flagship location was formerly a car dealership. The store claims to be the largest independent bookstore in the world, and has been named one of the best in the world by USA Today and CNN. Its flagship location takes up four stories on a full city block. Powell's Bookstore George Rose/Getty Images According to the store, more than 500,000 books are housed at Powell's Books' main location, known as "The City of Books." It has over 3,500 sections, with color-coded rooms for different genres. It also offers tours to schools and other organizations. Libreria Acqua Alta in Venice, Italy, is one of the few bookstores in the world where you might need rain boots. View of the famous bookstore in Venice, "Libreria Acqua Alta." Ihor Serdyukov/Shutterstock The name of the store translates to "Book Store of High Water," according to Atlas Obscura. To protect its collection from the frequent flooding of Venice's canals, the store has placed its books in waterproof basins and bathtubs. Steps leading outside are made from water-damaged books. The steps are made from old books in Libreria Acqua Alta in Venice. Ihor Serdyukov/Shutterstock The shop, regularly called one of the most beautiful bookshops in the world by outlets like National Geographic, mostly carries second-hand books. Old boats, from gondolas to kayaks, hold books throughout the store. Barter Books is located in a Victorian railway station in the small market town of Alnwick, England. Barter Books is located in a former train station in Alnwick, England. D K Grove/Shutterstock The station, which opened in 1887, was left empty after the train line closed in 1968. The entrance to Barter Books was once the station parcels room, and visitors can still see the window where passengers bought their tickets. In addition to adding bookshelves, a children's room, and a model railway, the owners have restored many of the station's original features. Inside Barter Books, which is located in a former train station in Alnwick, England. D K Grove / Shutterstock According to the store, the outdoor canopy was re-exposed, the fireplaces were restored, and the rooms were plastered and repainted, among other changes. The store's website says of the changes, "All of which, to our pleasure, has brought, after its closure in 1968, public life back to a building that was made for it." Before it was a bookstore called Librairie Avant-Garde, this building in Nanjing, China, was used as a bomb shelter and government parking lot. Librairie Avante-Garde was formerly a bomb shelter. Zhang Peng/Getty Images Located below Nanjing's Wutaishan Stadium, Librairie Avant-Garde opened in 2004 after owner Qian Xiaohua spent years renovating the 41,000-square-foot space, per Atlas Obscura. The store has become a popular place for students and tourists.  The bookstore specializes in religious texts, reflecting the owner's own faith. Librairie Avant-Garde reflects its owner's faith. Zhang Peng/Getty Images Parts of the bookstore are decorated in large crosses, but according to the owner, who is Christian, knowledge is the most sacred thing of all. Also in the store is a replica of Auguste Rodin's statue "The Thinker." This 700-year-old Gothic church is now home to the bookstore Boekhandel Dominicanen in Maastricht, Netherlands. Boekhandel Dominicanen was originally a Catholic church. gumbao/Shutterstock Originally a Catholic church, the building was deconsecrated in the 1790s by Napoleon Bonaparte, who used it to store equipment and personnel rather than as a place of worship, per Atlas Obscura. In 2005, the space was renovated into the bookstore it's known for today. Inside, modern titles sit beneath Gothic arches. Inside a 700-year-old Gothic church in Maastricht, Netherlands, which is now home to a bookstore. Peeradontax/Shutterstock The building, which was reimagined by Amsterdam-based architects Merkx+Girod, is now home to a three-story black steel bookshelf, as well as elevators and a large cross-shaped table.  The historic Cărturești Carusel in Romania was renovated into a sprawling, modern attraction. Cărturești Carusel in Bucharest, Romania, is 123 years old. Apolline Guillerot-Malick/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images The building that houses Romanian book chain Cărturești's quintessential location in Bucharest has taken on different forms since its inception. The building was constructed in 1860, per the Romanian outlet Wall-Street. Under the ownership of the wealthy Greek-Romanian Chrissoveloni family, it served as a bank until the mid-20th century, when it was nationalized under totalitarian rule. The building then housed a clothing store and later a location for La Familia, a clothing brand in the country. Finally, Cărturești began renting out the space in 2013, and the building is still owned by a member of the Chrissoveloni family. The bookstore features a bistro and over 10,000 square feet of space. What was once William Faulkner's New Orleans residence is now a bookstore in his name. Faulker House Books in New Orleans is run out of the author's former apartment. Scott Colesby/Shutterstock When Faulkner was still an unknown writer, he rented an apartment in New Orleans' French Quarter. It was in this apartment where he'd work on his first novel, "Soldiers' Pay." Though he lived there for less than six months, he's commemorated today by a bookstore in its place. The owners of what is now Faulkner House Books, Rosemary James and Joe DeSalvo, bought the building in 1990. They renovated it and turned the first floor, where Faulkner lived, into a bookstore. For some shoppers, the experience has been more than a historical one. Some shoppers have supposedly witnessed visions of William Faulkner at Faulkner House Books. Kennedy Photo/Shutterstock Some visitors' experiences have bordered on paranormal in the store. Per NOLA.com, when the author Joan Williams — who was once in a relationship with Faulkner — visited, she reported smelling pipe tobacco, a favorite of Faulkner's. Only, nobody was smoking at the time. The tradition of Paris' open-air street bookstores dates back centuries. The tradition of Paris's Bouquinistes dates back to The Renaissance. MariaMaslova/Shutterstock Per Bonjour Paris, Paris' "bouquinistes" are part of a UNESCO World Heritage site that lines the Seine River. These vendors sell used books, vintage stamps, newspapers, and other products. About 220 of these sellers sit on the river, and vendors must get approval from Paris' town hall. The tradition dates back to the Renaissance, when sellers used to conduct business on the Seine's bridges. The iconic green boxes have been around since 1891. Shakespeare and Company in Paris houses aspiring writers called "Tumbleweeds." Shakespeare and Company Paris Jeff Whyte/Shutterstock The historic Shakespeare and Company is based off the original store of the same name, which existed from 1919 to 1941 and attracted writers like Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald The current store, opened by George Whitman in 1951, was also visited by notable literary figures, such as Allen Ginsberg, Richard Wright, and James Baldwin. Per the store's website, "the bookshop has opened its doors to aspiring writers who've asked for a bed" since the store opened. In 2026, this takes the form of the store's "Tumbleweed Program," in which writers are provided living accommodations for up to a month in exchange for helping out with store events. The store receives applications from thousands of individuals a year, but can only take about 20. Read the original article on Business Insider