Largest bookshelf for the future! Oslo’s new public library has finally opened

Strengthening Norway’s position as a cultural hotspot, Oslo’s new public library, Deichman Bjørvika, has finally opened its doors for the public of Oslo and visitors to the Norwegian capital.

Through the last decade Oslo has transformed into an urban fjord city with an abundance of cultural highlights and iconic landmarks, like the Opera House, the Astrup Fearnley Museum and the Barcode district. And more is still to come.

“The opening of the new Deichman library in Oslo is an important contribution to strengthen Norway’s position as a cultural destination. I look forward to experience the library at Bjørvika, and to the further expansion of the Oslo skyline in the coming months, when the new Munch Museum and the new National Museum will open their doors,” said Bente Bratland Holm, director of tourism at Visit Norway.

Bjørvika has truly been transformed into a modern borough with fascinating architecture and great outdoor spaces. This area of the Oslo harbour was once known for a major highway junction and a container port. Today, the highway is gone and the containers have been replaced with shops and restaurants, office and apartment buildings, galleries and an art hotel. It even has beaches and a seawater pool, Oslo’s first urban farm and some very popular urban saunas.

Located in the harbour of Oslo, just a few steps away from Oslo Central Station and the Opera House, the new Deichman Bjørvika, designed by architects Lundhagem and Atelier Oslo, will be almost impossible to miss for visitors arriving in Oslo’s city centre by bus, tram, train or boat.

The library will be an exploration of what a library can be. Stretching over six floors and 13,500 square meters (approx. 140,000 square feet) you will find books, of course – 450,000 of them – but also other offers and activities, like a children’s section with playful hiding places, technology and knowledge in all forms; and on the fifth floor, a magical little room dedicated to the unique art project Future Library.