Modern libraries are distinguished not only by new technologies, but also by very unusual solutions in the field of architecture and design. We will introduce you to ten of the most unusual libraries in the world that captivate the hearts of readers.
1. Kansas City Public Library, USA
In 2004, the Kansas City Public Library moved into the vacant old First National Bank building. Two years after the library moved into its new home, a parking lot was built next to it, ruining the architectural appearance of the building. To block the view of the parking lot, it was decided to build a wall in the form of a giant bookshelf.
Each "book" is 8 meters high and 2 meters wide. The "shelf" contains "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain, "The Lord of the Rings" by J. R. R. Tolkien, "The Invisible Man" by H. G. Wells, "100 Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare and other outstanding works by classics of world literature, selected based on the results of a survey among readers of the Kansas City Library. The interior design of the library is made in a banking style as a tribute to the historical past of the building.
2. Pargue Espana Library, Colombia
The Colombian city of Medellin has gained a bad reputation in the last century as a cocaine capital and a nesting place for South American cartels. To improve the reputation of Pablo Escobar's small homeland, Colombian authorities have initiated a number of projects in Medellin aimed at the city's cultural revival.
One of these projects is the Pargue Espana library, built in 2007 according to the design of Giancarlo Masanti. Thanks to its unusual design, from a distance the new Medellin library resembles huge rocks. Inside these polyhedron rocks there is a cultural center, numerous reading rooms, modern computer rooms. To build the library, a slum quarter on the slopes of a mountain near Medellin was demolished, and now instead of ugly, lopsided favelas, three granites of science rise above the city.
3. Louis Nucera Library, France
The world's first inhabited sculpture is a building... of a library! Built in 2002 in Nice by architects Yves Bayard and Francis Chapus, the head-library instantly became one of the symbols of the famous resort town of France. Access to the "brain" for the average reader or tourist is prohibited - only the administrative departments of the Louis Nucère library work in the statue. The library stock and reading rooms are located in a more traditional building next door.
4. Sandro Penna Library, Italy
"A UFO has landed here!" is the first thought that may come to a tourist in Perugia when he sees the Sandro Penna Library in front of him. The library building is designed in the form of a flying saucer with transparent pink walls.
The futuristic interior, the clever mix of natural and artificial lighting, the soundproofing of the reading rooms, the library's 24-hour operation – all this attracts readers of all ages. Not without the help of its unique design, the pink shuttle lures visitors, inviting them to take a flight into the amazing world of books.
5. Delft University of Technology Library, The Netherlands
Delft University is one of the largest technical universities in Europe, and has always kept up with the times. A leading university needs a leading library, and in 1997 a new library building was built. The "dugout library" blends in perfectly with the surrounding landscape, and students relax on its roof and walls, camouflaged as a steep earthen hill, after intense studies.
The library houses a book depository, reading rooms, a university press, a bookbinding department, and a bookstore. The design of the library's interior resembles a bunker built to provide shelter from air attacks.
6. Geisel Library, USA
Another unique university library is the Geisel Library at the University of California, San Diego, named after the writer and philanthropist Theodor Seuss Geisel, who made a significant contribution to the formation of its collections. The "Tree of Knowledge" was built in the 70s of the last century. The Geisel Library does not have a third floor, as it was reserved for an emergency exit. At the entrance to the building, a colorful installation is noteworthy, saying: "Read, write, think, dream", as if preparing the reader for the path along the endless tree of knowledge.
7. Bishan Public Library, Singapore
Innovations have not bypassed Singapore either. Designed by LOOKArchitects, the Bishan Public Library is one of Singapore's newest architectural landmarks. The library's main feature is its specially designated soundproof rooms for discussing books read.
The "Myslezaly" are decorated with bright glass of all the colors of the rainbow, creating a mood and comfortable environment. The process of issuing books is fully automated, the reader receives his order in a maximum of five minutes.
8. Liyuan Library, China
It’s not just city libraries that can amaze the imagination – in the village of Huairou, an amazing “book temple” was built that resembles an ancient wooden fortress. Designed by Tsinghua University architecture professor Li Xiaodong, the library’s structure is made of glass and 45,000 wooden rods.
There are no tables or chairs inside the library – they are replaced by multi-level terraces with built-in bookshelves. On the terrace shelves there are mats on which you can sit and read a book right there. The library building is not electrified, so the lighting is exclusively natural – through a transparent roof covered with wooden rods. Due to the lack of electricity, the library is only open until 4.30 p.m.
9. Library of Alexandrina, or New Library of Alexandria, Egypt
The Bibliotheca Alexandrina was built on the site of the legendary Library of Alexandria, destroyed almost two thousand years ago. About $238 million was allocated for the ambitious project (120 million by the Egyptian government), and by 2002 the successor to the library of Alexander the Great opened its doors to readers. The building is located inside a pool and is made in the shape of a disk, personifying both the sunrise of knowledge and the ancient Egyptian sun god Ra.
Inside the “sun” there is an entire library universe: a gigantic collection of eight million books, numerous reading rooms (the main room is located on 11 cascading levels and has an area of 70,000 square meters), a conference room, specialized libraries for the blind, teenagers and children, four art galleries, a planetarium, a laboratory for the restoration of ancient manuscripts.
The Aswan granite walls of the reading rooms are carved with graphic systems of 120 languages of the world. This architectural masterpiece was guarded by librarians and readers during the Egyptian revolution of 2011, forming a “human chain” around the library building and fighting off attacks by marauding mobs.
10. The Library Resort, Thailand
In Thailand, on the Chaweng beach of Samui Island, a hotel-library The Library Resort was built. The hotel offers vacationers not only physical "relaxation", but also cultural - a library with a fairly solid collection (there are even books in Russian) is open near the pool.
The hotel has large reading rooms with a modern minimalist design, but guests are also allowed to read books near the pool in the fresh air. You can read not only paper books, but also electronic ones: in each room there are iMac computers with free Internet access. An ideal place for lovers of the printed word!
11. Library-sink
But the National Library of Kazakhstan, currently under construction in the capital of this state, Astana, looks more like a flying saucer or a shell of some kind of sea mollusk. The choice of the building's shape is, of course, not accidental. After all, in this version the sun will be able to illuminate the rooms inside the library for as long and brightly as possible.
12. Library in the metro
Many residents of the largest megalopolises on Earth spend a huge amount of time underground, in the subway, every day. And one of the best ways to kill time there is reading. For such underground book lovers, there is a library at the 50th Street station in the New York subway, where you can find a book to read on your way to work and home.
13. Infinite Library
The Stockholm Public Library project, designed by architect Olivier Charles, involves creating an “endless” wall of books. The central atrium of this library will feature a huge wall with shelves filled with books. Visitors will be able to walk along the galleries installed along this wall and take the books they need or like. And to increase the effect of infinity, mirrors will be installed on the sides of this wall.
14. Kenya's Camel Library
Don't think that books can only travel on donkeys. In Kenya, camels are used for this purpose. They carry books and equipment for the tent camp. Librarians traveling through the desert can use them to rest on their way to remote settlements where, without their efforts, there would be no books. The program began in 1985.
15. Handmade Book Library
One of the most unusual libraries in the world is located in Cuba. It belongs to the publishing house "Vykhia". And it is unusual in that the books stored here are handmade. The circulation of each of them is 200 copies. In total, the library stores about 600 copies, but each of them is unique. For example, one of the books is made in the form of a house, and to read it, you need to lift its roof.
16. Libraries at Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia
If the Vatican library is the most secret, then the title of the most mysterious libraries can be safely awarded to four knowledge repositories in Cambodia. Located in a unique temple complex, they do not reveal their secrets to anyone, and their unique architecture gives rise to even more questions than answers.
17. Libraries – telephone booths, Berlin, Germany
In Berlin, they came up with the idea of converting old telephone booths into small city libraries. The booths themselves are bought online, and students from comprehensive schools independently design and redesign their interiors. Solar panels are installed on the roofs, and wooden benches are placed outside.
Anyone can take a book from the library and bring their own. Residents of nearby houses monitor the order in such mini-libraries and ensure that literature of Nazi and pornographic content does not appear on the shelves.
18. Trinity College Library
This literary treasure trove, located in Dublin, is one of the most beautiful and unusual libraries in the world, which has become a permanent home for the famous illuminated Book of Kells, created in 800 by Irish monks. The facility is located in five buildings, four of which are part of Trinity College and one of St. James's Hospital. The main hall of the Old Library, called the Long Room, stretches for 65 meters. It was built between 1712 and 1732, and today it houses more than 200,000 of the oldest literary works.
The Long Room was originally an open gallery with a flat ceiling, with volumes stored only on the first floor shelves. But in the early 19th century, the library was given the right to store a copy of every book published in Ireland and Great Britain within its walls, and the shelves were no longer sufficient. In 1860, a decision was made to expand the book depository and install an upper gallery, which required raising the ceiling several metres and transforming its flat shape into a vaulted one.
19. Austrian National Library
The Austrian National Library, located in Vienna, is the largest library in Austria, with its diverse collections housing more than 7.4 million books and 180,000 papyri, the oldest of which date back to the 15th century BC. Founded by the Habsburg royal dynasty, it was originally called the "Imperial Library" but acquired its current name in 1920.
The library complex includes 4 museums, as well as numerous collections and archives. The main mission of the repository is to collect and archive all publications published in Austria, including electronic media publications.
The distinctive feature of this building is its original decoration: the walls and ceilings are painted with frescoes, and the building itself is decorated with numerous sculptures. That is why this library is considered one of the most beautiful in the world.
20. Library of Congress
Another beautiful book depository is located in the capital of the USA – Washington. It was founded in 1800 after President John Adams signed the act on moving the capital of the country from Philadelphia to Washington. At that time, the head of state intended to create an unusual library that could be used only by a special group of dedicated people from the government. Today, the doors of the depository are open to anyone over 16, but some of its archives are still classified as “secret” and are not available to ordinary people.
The Library of Congress is considered the largest in the world, housing millions of books, manuscripts, records, photographs, and maps. The library's most valuable copy is the first printed edition of the Declaration of Independence of the United States (1776). This oldest federal cultural institution in America is also the research center of Congress. According to US law, any publication published in the country must have an additional copy intended for sending to the Congressional repository.
21. National Library of France
Our list of interesting libraries in the world also includes the National Book Depository of France, located in Paris. This literary treasury, with royal origins, was founded in 1368 in the Louvre Palace by King Charles V. But in 1996, the depository received a new home in a complex of buildings consisting of four towers built in the shape of an open book.
The collection of the unusual library is unique and has no analogues in the world. It contains 14 million books, printed documents, manuscripts, photographs, maps and plans, as well as ancient coins, medals and decorative elements. Here you can also get acquainted with audio and video documentation and study multimedia exhibits.
At the National Library of France, visitors can find comprehensive and extensive information, whether scientific or artistic. Every year, thanks to donations and contributions, the collection of the repository is expanded by 150 thousand new documents.
22. City Library Stuttgart
One of the best libraries in Germany is located in Stuttgart. The external architecture of the building, which is an ordinary cube, is quite simple and is unlikely to arouse interest, but its internal design is a hymn to modernity and innovation. Built in 2011, the book depository is located on 9 floors, each of which is dedicated to a separate topic, for example, art or children's literature.
You won't find traditional reading rooms with creaky furniture here, but you will be pleasantly surprised by futuristic sofas with cushions. And specially equipped booths for using the Internet and listening to music only complement the innovative ambience of the room.
The unusual design inside the building is not intended to amaze the imagination, but to draw visitors' attention exclusively to the books. Nevertheless, professional publications have deservedly praised the architecture of the Stuttgart city depository and included it in the list of the 25 most beautiful libraries in the world.
23. Aberdeen University Library
In September 2012, Queen Elizabeth II announced the official opening of the new library at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. The unusual 15,500 square metre building has become the centre of study and research for the university’s students. During its first year of operation, the institution welcomed over 700,000 visitors. It houses around 250,000 volumes and manuscripts, a reading room for 1,200 people, and an exhibition gallery where events are often held.
The unusual modern architecture of the building deserves special attention: its facade is a combination of glass and plastic white lines, and the center of the interior is a futuristic atrium, spread over 8 tiers of the building. Thanks to its design, this library has rightfully earned the status of one of the most unusual and beautiful in the world.
24. Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library, located in Oxford, is one of the oldest in Europe and the second largest in Britain, housing over 11 million books and documents. It is here that copies of all publications published in England and Ireland are deposited. The beautiful book depository occupies five buildings and also has several branches in colleges and universities across the country. It is noteworthy that it is not possible to take a book outside the building: visitors can study copies only in special reading rooms.
The Bodleian Library was built in the 14th century and has undergone several redevelopments and expansions. Its calling card is the unusual Radcliffe Rotunda, which houses most of the medical and scientific literature. Previously, the institution's rules prohibited visitors from making photocopies of books, but today the requirements have been relaxed, and now everyone has the opportunity to make copies of copies published after 1900.
25. Juanina Library
One of the most beautiful libraries in the world is located at the University of Coimbra in Portugal. The repository was built in the 18th century during the reign of the Portuguese King João V and is named after him. The building consists of three halls separated by decorated arches. The best Portuguese artists worked on the unusual decoration of this literary treasury, decorating the ceilings and walls of the building with Baroque paintings.
It houses over 250,000 volumes on medicine, geography, history, philosophy, canon law and theology. It is a true national monument of unique historical value for the state and has become one of the most beautiful landmarks in Portugal.
26. Royal Library
This national library of Denmark, located in Copenhagen, is also part of the capital's main university. The unusual repository was given life in 1648 by the monarch Frederick III, and today it is considered the largest in the Scandinavian countries. This place has great historical value: within its walls are numerous publications published since the beginning of the 17th century.
The building itself is presented in the form of two cubes made of glass and black marble, which are cut by a glass quadrangle. The new building is connected to the old library of 1906 by three passages. Inside, the depository is a modern atrium of a wave-like shape, spread over 8 floors. Separately, it is worth noting the entrance to the reading room, which is decorated with a unique fresco measuring 210 square meters. The Royal Book Depository, due to its color and unusual shape, was named "Black Diamond".
27. Library of the Escorial
The royal district of the Spanish city of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, located 45 km from Madrid, is the historical residence of the Spanish king. It is here that the unusual library of El Escorial is located, which is considered one of the largest in the world. The length of the main hall of the repository is 54 meters, and its height is 10 meters. Here, on beautiful carved shelves, more than 40 thousand volumes are stored, among which you can find the most valuable manuscripts, such as the Golden Gospel of Henry III.
The El Escorial library also contains Arabic manuscripts, historical and cartographic documents. The vaulted ceilings and walls of the building are decorated with beautiful frescoes that depict the 7 liberal arts: rhetoric, dialectic, music, grammar, arithmetic, geometry and astronomy.
28. Marciana Library
The National Library of San Marco is housed in a Renaissance building in Venice, Italy. It is one of the first surviving public repositories and contains the world's greatest collection of classical texts and ancient manuscripts.
The building is richly decorated with sculptures, columns and arches, and the interior of the building is decorated with frescoes and paintings, on which great Italian artists worked. Such decoration makes this literary treasury one of the most beautiful and unusual in the world. The depository contains more than a million copies of printed publications, 13 thousand manuscripts and about 24 thousand editions dating back to the 16th century. Real historical treasures are kept here: the will of Marco Polo, the original notes of Francesco Cavalli, the codes of the Gonzaga family and much more.
29. Library Clementium
Clementium is a historical complex of buildings in Prague, which houses one of the most beautiful libraries in the world. Built in 1722, the repository is made in the Baroque style, and today its area is more than 20 thousand square meters. This unusual structure contains about 22 thousand rare books, which carry great historical value.
The Clementium's interior is not just a beautiful interior, but a true work of art. Frescoed ceilings, antique furniture, ornate golden railings and valuable editions on carved shelves - all this awaits visitors to one of the most interesting libraries in the world.
30. Vennesla Library and Cultural Centre
The most futuristic book depository in the world was founded in 2011 in the city of Stavanger, located on the west coast of Norway. The unique geometry of the building's roof is based on 27 wooden arcs made from recycled lumber. In the center of each arc there is a comfortable reading corner.
The modern building was constructed using mainly wood, so the structure meets the highest environmental requirements. The Vennesla Library has won several architectural competitions both in Norway and abroad.
31. Portuguese Royal Library
The Portuguese Royal Library, located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, ranks 4th on the list of the most beautiful book depositories in the world. The unusual building greets its visitors with a spiked façade with high windows and sculptures with bas-reliefs. And inside the building, you will find a Gothic interior combined with the Renaissance style. The reading room of the depository amazes the imagination with its huge beautiful chandelier, a large ceiling in the form of a stained glass window and a floor laid out with intricate mosaics.
This interesting library contains valuable literary materials, including more than 350 thousand volumes and rare books from the 16th to 18th centuries. All copies are available in electronic versions. Thousands of copies of publications officially published in Portugal arrive here every year.
32. State Library of Victoria
This largest book depository in the Australian state of Victoria is located in Melbourne. The library was founded in 1856, and its first collection consisted of about 4,000 volumes. Today, the building covers an entire block and has several reading rooms, and its storage facilities contain more than 1.5 million copies of books. The famous diaries of Captain Cook are kept here, as well as the notes of Melbourne's founding fathers - John Pascoe Fawkner and John Batman.
Inside, the building is decorated with beautiful carved staircases and carpets, as well as a miniature art gallery. Outside, there is a green park where you can admire unique sculptural monuments. The State Library of Victoria can rightfully be considered one of the most unusual book depositories in the world.
33. National Library of Belarus, Minsk
Many have heard about this building, as the library was built not so long ago – less than 10 years ago. At the same time, it has already managed to earn the title of “The World’s Ugliest Library”.
It is built in the form of a little-known geometric figure, the rhombicuboctahedron. The building is covered with LEDs, which change patterns and colors on the building almost every second at night.
34. Beach Library
German Koprenas built a library right on the territory of one of the sandy beaches of the Bulgarian Black Sea resort of Albena and supplied it with more than 2,500 books in 10 languages. Guests of the library are invited not only to borrow books for a while, but also to add to the library themselves.
35. Library on the bus
One day 11 years ago, a Brazilian bus driver, Antonio de Conceição Ferreira, brought a box of books to work, which he handed out to passengers, writing down their names. Today, Antonio's bus is a library on wheels, with about 15 titles on its bookshelf at any given time. The mobile library is designed to help pass the time on the road, as well as raise the level of culture of passengers.
36. Library in a mailbox
Now no one can say for sure who first came up with the idea of creating a tiny library inside their own mailbox. What can be said with certainty is that people picked up on the idea and now such bookshelves can be seen in almost every corner of the globe.
37. Library Mule
In 2009, a local university set up a mobile library in the Trujillo Mountains of Venezuela. A biblio-mule now delivers books to peasant children in remote villages. There are many similar ideas, for example, there is a library-booth: in 2013, the streets of New York were decorated with a futuristic mini-library, the design of which delicately protects books and readers from prying eyes and harmful environmental influences. The design project for the library was developed by a Venezuelan firm in collaboration with the Architectural League of New York. There is also an “Open Library”: in 2012, Italian artist Massimo Bartolini designed an open library (literally open) called the Book Yard. Bartolini’s library is a set of 12 cabinets installed on the grounds of the Abbey of St. Peter.
38. Library tank
Argentine artist Raul Lemesoff has found his own way to promote peace through literature. He built a mobile library in the form of a tank. The tank's outer walls contain about 900 books. Raul tours with his library through the cities and villages of Argentina, thus supporting public education and instilling pacifist ideas in his compatriots. There is also a Moto-library: Antonio La Cava, a retiree from Italy who devoted 42 years of his life to teaching, decided to continue teaching children after retirement. In 2003, he bought a used motorcycle and converted it into a moto-library containing about 700 books.
