Where in Amsterdam can you bring your children, find an apple on designer furniture, see musicians and watch a film for 1 Euro? Well, it’s located conveniently between Central Station and the famous Nemo. And you can appreciate its beauty in many aspects: architecture, functionality, design , facilities, atmosphere. The architect is Jo Coenen, a famous architect in the Netherlands who also designed the nearby area of KNSM island and many other important buildings in Holland. It’s not a bank or gallery or theatre but a library (or Bibliotheek, in Dutch) – and not any ordinary library.
Spiral Staircase - Amstedam's Openbare Library
Firstly, it has a floor surface of 28,500m, which makes it the largest public library in Europe. As soon as you enter it you can see a huge modern space and you wonder if it is truly a library. Do not expect ancient wooden shelves with dusty books. You will find a white internal design with trendy furniture and peculiar shapes. As soon as you enter the library, on your right-hand side is a piano and it can often happen that you hear some nice music played by a visitor. But do not worry there are 6 other floors where you can sit and enjoy your book without any disturbance!
On the ground floor there is a space dedicated to your children. They can read, play and use mini Apple Mac computers without any charge. On every floor you can enjoy free internet. You have 2 options: If you have your own computer you can register and get a password for the WiFi connection (without paying any extra fee) or you can use one of the 600 computers located everywhere!
Curved Shelves - Amsterdam's Openbare Library
There are 6 floors. Every floor has a different shape and function. There are many relaxing areas and you can enjoy a beautiful view of the whole city looking through the big windows. On the 7th floor you can find the famous Dutch chain La Place, a self service restaurant full of international choices. There is a beautiful panoramic terrace where you can enjoy your food in sunny days. On the first floor you can find restaurant Vapiano, Italian dishes on the south side of the library.
Close to the Openbare Bibliotheek there is the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, the music conservatory of the city. The modern architecture equipped with large windows at the front allows you to observe, while you are reading your book the library, many musicians playing different instruments in their study room. It is really exciting and you can breathe an artistic and young environment everywhere. If you decide to move to Amsterdam you can apply for the annual card of the Bibliotheek: you can borrow books for free – DVD’s and audio Cd’s for just 1 Euro – and you can keep them for a week.
Don’t miss this wonderful place if you visit the Dutch capital, I am sure this is something unique!
If you want to have more information about the Openbare Bibliotheek click here.
Written by Fabrizia Sbrega
Also in love with the OBA, was the place were I used to go every day when I just arrived to the Netherlands. Free Wi-Fi, so I was there for hours looking for jobs and rooms to rent. Good memories.