Everything you need to know about the best libraries in Barcelona that you have to visit

 Studying in Barcelona is an incomparable experience that you only live once in your life. For that, we are very sure in Xior The LoftTown and for this reason, we put at your disposal some impressive and comfortable areas for our #thelofttowners to study with total tranquility and in the best atmosphere, but we also want you to know other fantastic places to study.

In this sense, did you know that the Catalan capital offers more than 40 libraries open to all the public and for all types?

For this reason, today we want to tell you which are the most charming and historical libraries in Barcelona that you need to visit, if you want enjoy a different study day in the best Barcelona style. Do you want to know more? Welcome to a new chapter of our blog for students in Barcelona.

As we said before, Barcelona is a city full of history and culture that never ceases to impress, so is not a surprise that also has many libraries spread throughout the city, in order to t the local people can have access to the culture completely free.

Therefore, depending on which neighborhood is your favorite, the libraries of Barcelona will have a very particular detail and will specialize in a different subject depending on the sectors where they are located.

For example, there are libraries that specialize in woman’s literature, Barcelona black and contemporary novels, cinema history, complementary medicine, hospitality and tourism, publications in many languages, Catalan publishers, and many others.

Therefore, if you are living an academic season in Barcelona, you have the obligation to visit some of these fantastic libraries because we are sure that once you are inside you don’t want leave them easily, thanks to the fact that they are full of culture and with the best books that you would never have imagined finding before.

Would you like to find the best library in the city? Next, we tell you which ones we like more.

La Fraternitat library in the Barceloneta quarter

 This magnific library located in the heart of the Barceloneta fishing district is undoubtedly an architectural gem in the city. And it has a building with a particular modernist style, enough surprising because it has more than 100 years of history.

In its beginnings, it served as workers cooperative for the people of the neighborhood, but over time it was transformed into a library for the local people. Inside it has four floors and has all the comforts for its visitors to be captivated by literature without any problem.

It should be noted that within its collections is specializes in having catering and hospitality publications focused on the professional field, among others.

It is also characterized by being small and perhaps its main attraction is that it is one step away from the beach.

Joan Miró library in the Eixample quarter

If you are looking for a library connected with conceptual art in the style of Joan Miró, this id your choice. Can you imagine being inside a library that looks like a ship? Well, it exists! And it is that the Joan Miró library was created with the idea that it is a kind of ship that goes infinitely sailing through the seas of knowledge and for that its main attraction.

Therefore, it is a 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 publishers for 30 years, as well as hundreds of publications connected to the Catalan artist Joan Miró. If you like art and you are a lover of splendid places connected with it, you have to come here.

Arús public library in the Eixample quarter

What about, if we tell you that you can feel like entering New York City by sea? Well, in this beautiful library it is possible. Here you will find as soon as you arrive at a sculpture of a woman holding a torch and a book, so welcoming all visitors to the site.

Inside the Arús library, you will be able to appreciate a reduced replica of the Statue of liberty that gives it a unique personality. As it is known in Barcelona, the Catalan liberty, is the work of Catalan artist Manuel Fuxà, who proclaims in an inscription about the freedom of the soul or “Anima libertas” in Latin.

It has also a secular icon that illuminates the library, as a form of collective progress. While in the back of its facilities you will find specialized publications on 20th century labor movements and freemasonry throughout history. Without a doubt, a different and interesting option that you can’t miss.

Xavier Benguerel library in the Sant Martí quarter

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

So, you not be surprised when you visit it because you will come across such a large and fantastic collection about classic and contemporary cinema that you will want to stay for a long time entering the seventh art.

Regarding to the facilities, it is a very bright place due to the natural light that the space has and fills it with harmony to the visitors. Furthermore, it is one of the favorites for the Barcelona public thanks to the nice treatment provided by its workers that makes you want to come back again and again.

Francesca Bonnemaison library in Ciutat Vella

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

In its beginnings, the library began as a space destined to offer access to al the culture and information strictly related to women.

Over the years, it moved and received the name that it bears today in honor of its founder, Francesca Bonnemaison.

As a detail, we tell you that in the same building there is also a Office for the promotion of Women’s Equality Policies, the Women’s School and the Francesca Bonnemaison Women’s Culture Center, a whole building for women. For all these reasons, this library is a benchmark for women’s literature and book lovers that we should all know.

Sofia Barat library in the Eixample quarter 

This library is characterized by being one of the oldest in the city. Imagine that inside it you will be able to walk through some very long corridors and, suddenly, find yourself in the inner part of the park, with an environment connected with nature and in a quite familiar atmosphere.

Here you can find many kind of publications of all types. However, those that are connected with complementary medice, topics related to yoga and spiritual life, among others, stand out above al. However, if you want to delve into the history of the life of the Eixample, we tell you that here you can find out everything related to the quarter and its beginnings to understand the reason for its particular architecture, unique in the world, among other curious facts.

 San Pau – Santa Creu library in Raval quarter

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

Keep in mind that during this time it was forbidden to read and speak Catalan in Barcelona and all Catalonia.

However, here a large collection of authentic books in Catalan language was hidden that, clandestinely, were provided in order to the people could read them and not lose their culture, although secretly.

On the other hand, during the las decades being connected with the immigrant side of the neighborhood, you will also be able to find thousands of publications about the Arab world and the Indian subcontinent, among other foreign cultures, showing how many nationalities and religions converge with total harmony in same city.

With today’s post, we hope you have learned a little more about which are the main public libraries in Barcelona that you should visit. As you already know if you are thinking of moving to Barcelona and living in the best residence for university students in the city, count on us.

We are looking forward to you to become a new #TheLoftowner!

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Have a nice day!