New, spectacular National Library of Israel opens in Jerusalem

In Israel, despite the war the country has found itself in after the brutal Hamas terrorist attack last Oct. 7, culture goes on and shines.In fact, the new National Library of Israel (NLI) opened its new home to its public last Sunday, Oct. 29.

The NLI is headquartered in Jerusalem in a large new 11-year-old building that is a major new addition to Jerusalem’s urban landscape.The new NLI covers an area of approximately 46,000 square meters, with six floors above ground and five floors below ground. The new National Library of Israel building was designed by the Swiss archistars of the Herzog & de Meuron firm, known for its works around the world such as the Tate Modern in London, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the National Stadium (Bird’s Nest) in Beijing, and many others. The executive architect was Mann Shinar. The new Library, funded by the Government of the State of Israel in cooperation with Yad Hanadiv, the Yad Hanadiv-Rothschild Foundation, the Gottesman family of New York, and many other donors from Israel abroad (total cost: 845 million shekels, or about 200 million euros, 86% funded by donors), is located at the intersection of Kaplan Street and Ruppin Boulevard, across from the Knesset and adjacent to the Israel Museum.

Readers will have access to the main reading rooms located in the center of the Library, designed to accommodate 600 people, who can browse, read and study for free. The Library houses millions of objects including more than four million books, historical newspapers, photographs, about 1,500 personal collections and archives, thousands of ancient maps, tens of thousands of manuscripts, posters and other ephemeral objects, records and tapes, as well as millions of digitized documents, music recordings and many other treasures .

Currently, the Library is open Sunday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is closed on Fridays (until further notice). Entrance is through the main entrance from Kaplan Street. Library staff are available to provide services and free tours of the main reading room are available during the first week of opening.

Starting in November, the Library will also offer free tours for evacuees from the northern and southern border to showcase the building’s impressive architecture, reading rooms, exhibits, artwork, visitor experience, and more. Workshops and sessions for children are also planned, subject to the security situation. In addition, free guided tours for the public (in English) are available every Wednesday at noon upon online registration.

As soon as the security situation permits, the Library plans to open the spacious gallery spaces, displaying the most important rare treasures of the Jewish people and Israeli society, along with items from the Library’s Islam and the Middle East and Humanities collections.

The new building also includes a 480-seat auditorium where concerts, lectures, and other cultural events will be held; a visitor center that presents the Library experience through an interactive “sound walk” with images on a 20-meter-long LED screen; a restaurant; and a bookstore offering unique Library-branded books and gifts. These, too, will be available as soon as conditions allow.

Visitors to the new National Library of Israel will then be able to view works of art by Israeli and international artists, including two newly donated works by Marc Chagall, two works by British artist Edmund de Waal, new works created especially for the new building by Israeli artist Gali Cnaani, Sigalit Landau, Michal Rovner, a major work by Yechiel Shemi, and others. In front of the building is a monumental stone sculpture, Letters of Light, by Micha Ullman, based on the ancient Kabbalistic text Sefer Yetzira (Book of Creation). This important sculpture focuses on the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet carved in stone, with light and shadow responding to the ever-changing angle of the sun’s rays.

The surrounding public areas feature specially selected plants and trees that celebrate Israel’s rich and varied vegetation and landscape reflecting Jerusalem’s natural terraces.

New, spectacular National Library of Israel opens in Jerusalem

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.