Just a bridge span from Old Town, on the left bank of the
Daugava, looms an extraordinary, culturally significant edifice, the Castle of
Light - the new National Library.
The new library building houses a modern information centre
and ample space for cultural and social events, offering one and all
multi-themed reading rooms and access to rare books and audio/video recordings
besides the usual printed matter. Open to the general public for viewing is the
[Latvian] Dainu skapis - the chest of drawers or file cabinet containing the
thousands of Latvian folk verse - the wise and witty dainas. A cabinet that
UNESCO recognizes as having global significance; included on the register for
the programme called World Memory. The
library building has already become active in organizing various exhibits,
concerts and conferences. Available here
are a restaurant, cafe, WiFi, and the most splendid panoramic view of Old Town.
The basic objective of the new structure is to accrue and
preserve national and international literary works, securing access to them for
the general public. Over four million units are now located here, mostly
Latvian publications concerning Latvia and Latvians.
Opened in August of 2014, the striking edifice is the
masterwork of the world-renowned Latvian-American architect Gunārs Birkerts.
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| National Library of Latvia |
