18th-Century Portuguese Library Has Bats That Protect the Priceless Books Housed Inside

18th-Century Portuguese Library Has Bats That Protect the Priceless Books Housed Inside

In the heart of Coimbra, Portugal, a remarkable alliance has been quietly unfolding for centuries between nature and knowledge. Inside the Biblioteca Joanina, an 18th-century Baroque masterpiece nestled within the University of Coimbra, more than 60,000 priceless books—many of them first editions and historic manuscripts—are kept safe not by modern technology, but by an unlikely protector: bats. Each night, as visitors leave and the lights dim, …