Today at The Lofttown we tell you which are the most beautiful and historic libraries in Barcelona that you cannot miss this spring

When studying or doing your work and projects… What is your favorite place? Of course, you will have a particular place that is ideal for you to concentrate, thus achieving the best results in your academic work. However, in Barcelona you have a lot of places to do it, with total comfort and at your own pace, such as our study and leisure spaces in The Lofttown.

However, if you want to study in Barcelona and make it an incredible experience you are in the right place. And today we tell you which are the most beautiful and historic libraries in Barcelona that you cannot miss this spring.

So you know, if you want to enjoy a day of work and study, differently Barcelona style in architectural jewels that will not leave you indifferent, continue reading. Welcome back to our blog for university residents in Barcelona!

Libraries of Barcelona, a different experience

To talk about them is simply to talk about beauty and history. Barcelona is a city full of cultures in every corner, which never ceases to surprise its residents and visitors. For this reason, Barcelona is one of the most important cities in this sense, since it has, no more and no less, with a hundred libraries spread throughout the neighborhoods of the city, with a cultural offer and books, of all kinds and for all tastes, completely free for your visitors.

Sounds great, doesn’t it?  And the best of all is that depending on your neighborhood or the one you like, the libraries of Barcelona will always have a very particular touch to offer, either for its atmosphere and architecture, specializing in a different theme, thus tragedizing its audience correctly.

What types of libraries will you find in Barcelona?

As we said, there are some for everyone. For example, there are libraries where you will go for how beautiful they are, or for the cultural they offer. Therefore, we tell you that there are specialized libraries from women’s literature, stopping for the black and contemporary novels of Barcelona, such as the great history of cinema, or for the most professionals who seek complementary medicine, hospitality and tourism.

Undoubtedly, you will find publications in many languages, even Catalan publishers, among many others that we are sure will immerse you in a world of learning without limits.

So resident`s friends, if you are living in Barcelona an academic season,  you cannot miss the opportunity to visit some of the wonderful libraries that you will discover today with The Lofttown, your university residence in Barcelona.

Are you ready to find your favorite library in the Catalan capital? Here are our recommendations for you to dive into.

Option 1: La Fraternitat in Barceloneta

A library facing the sea. Yes, as you read, this wonderful library located in the heart of the seafaring district of Barceloneta is undoubtedly an architectural jewel in this colourful neighborhood, picturesque by nature. Anchored in a modernist style building with more than 100 years of history.

They say that in the beginning it served as a workers’ cooperative for the people of the neighborhood, but with the passage of time it became a library for the local people. Inside it has four floors and has all the comforts for its visitors to be conquered by literature without any problem.

It should be noted that within its collections specializes by having publications of restaurants and hospitality focused on the professional field, among others. It is also characterized by being small and perhaps its main attraction is that it is just a step away from the beach.

Option 2: Joan Miró in L’Eixample
If you are looking for a library connected to conceptual art in the style of Joan Miró, this is your choice. Can you imagine being inside a library that looks like a boat? It exists! The Joan Miró library was created with the idea that it is a kind of boat that sails infinitely through the seas of knowledge and hence its main attraction.
Therefore, it is located within a beautiful park with fabulous views that gives the feeling that we are sailing the seas in search of books. Although it is a small library we must also say that it is very cozy and familiar.
In this enclosure you will find a large collection of Catalan publishing houses for 30 years, as well as hundreds of publications connected to the Catalan artist Joan Miró. If you like art and you love splendid places connected with it, come here!

Option 3: Public Arús in L’Eixample

What if we told you that you could feel like entering New York City by sea? Well, in this beautiful library it is possible. And here you will find as soon as you arrive at a sculpture of a woman holding a torch and a book, which welcoming all visitors arrive.

Here you can appreciate a reduced replica of the Liberty Statue itself that gives it a unique personality. As it is known in Barcelona, the Catalan Liberty, is the work of the Catalan artist Manuel Fuxà, who proclaims in an inscription on the freedom of the soul or ‘Anima libertas’ in Latin.

It also has a secular icon that illuminates the library as a form of collective progress. While in the background of its facilities you will find specialized publications on 20th century workers’ movements and freemasonry throughout history. Undoubtedly, a different and interesting option that you can not miss

Option 4: Xavier Benguerel in Poblenou

In Barcelona there is a perfect corner for all lovers of cinema in the form of a library. And here you will find all kinds of magazines, books, special publications and soundtracks exclusively related to this wonderful art.

So don’t be surprised when you visit it because you’ll come across such a large and fantastic collection of classic and contemporary cinema that you’ll want to stay for a long time getting into the seventh art.

With regard to the facilities, it is a rather bright place because of the natural light with which the space counts and which fills it with harmony to visitors. In addition, it is a favorite for the Barcelona public thanks to the pleasant treatment provided by its workers that makes you want to come again and again.

Option 5: Francesca Bonnemaison in Ciutat Vella

If you want to find a library that is old, pleasant and symbolic this is your best choice. Especially if we tell you that it was also the first library created in Europe exclusively for women. This fact makes it a unique scene of its kind and that does not go unnoticed by any visitor, despite being located in a very small street in the center of the city.

In its beginnings, this library began as a space designed to offer access to all culture and information strictly linked to women. Over the years, it moved and was named after its founder, Francesca Bonnemasion.

As a detail, we tell you that in the same building there is also the Office for the Promotion of Policies for Equality of Women, the Women’s School and the Francesca Bonnemaison Women’s Culture Centre, a whole building for women. Therefore, this library is a reference for women’s literature and book lovers that we should all know.

Option 6: Sofia Barat in L’Eixample

This library is one of the oldest in the city. Imagine that inside it you can walk through some very long corridors and, suddenly, find yourself in the interior of the park, with an environment connected to nature and in a quite familiar atmosphere.

Here you will find many types of publications of all genres. However, they highlight especially those that are connected with complementary medicine, topics related to yoga and spiritual life, among others. However, if you want to explore into the history of the life of the Eixample, we tell you that here you can soak up everything linked to the neighborhood and its beginnings to understand why its unique architecture in the world, among other curious facts.

Option 7: Sant Pau-Santa Creu in Raval
Located in the heart of Raval is this small library with more than 75 years of existence. It is characterized by being a library with a great personality and with a special history; since during those of the Franco dictatorship, here was located the Hospital de la Santa Creu.

It should be noted that during that time it was forbidden to read and speak Catalan in Barcelona and all of Catalonia. However, here they hid a large collection of authentic books in the Catalan language that, clandestinely, were provided so that people could read them in order not to lose their culture, although secretly.

On the other hand, during the last decades being connected with the immigrant side of the neighborhood, you can also find thousands of publications on the Arab world and Indian subcontinent, among other foreign cultures, which shows how many nationalities and religions converge in total harmony in the same city.

Have you found your favorite library in Barcelona?

¡We are pretty  sure yes! And you already know if you are thinking of moving to Barcelona and what you are looking for is to live in the best residence for university students in the city, then count on us, we will be happy to help you live the best experience of your life.

We look forward to you becoming a new #TheLoftowner!

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Enjoy spring in Barcelona!