Multiple levels of a plaza-like interior of Oodi, the new public library in Helsinki.
This staricase is one of the remarkable features of Oodi, the new public library in Helsinki.
The staricase is one of the remarkable features of Oodi, the new public library in Helsinki.
Finland is famous for it?s publicly funded services that are available to all the citizen with little or no extra cost. (Meaning that of course they have paid for them with their taxes.) It?s libraries are something the whole Finland is especially proud of.
Now Helsinki has completed a huge investment in just that: a new public library right in the center of the city. It?s called Oodi (The Ode) and it features some remarkable architechture.
First of all, Oodi is like a public park but only indoors. The main library hall features a cafe and areas for sitting down and hanging out on different levels. There are comfortable benches where you can just sit down or even work on your laptop if you want. Oodi even has a free-for-all indoor playground where library staff organizes activities for children.
Oodi, which cost about 100 million euros to build, includes a lot of unique architechture. Library interior looks like a large indoor city plaza with multiple levels in the topmost floor. Library?s floors are connected, in addition to regular escalators, by a impressive staircase.
Take a look at what Oodi looks like from inside and see it for yourself when you?re in Helsinki. It can be found right next to main railway station and opposite of the parliament building. During the week it?s open all day until 10pm and weekends until 8 pm. It?s obviously free for everyone to enter ? for loaning books (yeah, that?s what libraries are about after all) you have to register.
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This is Oodi on the map:
