The Kharkiv Public Library (, Kharkiv Korolenko State Scientific Library) is an located in the center of

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

in , 18. It was erected in 1899–1901 according to the design of the prominent Ukrainian architect

Oleksiy Beketov Oleksiy Mykolaovych Beketov (; 3 March 1862, Kharkiv, Russian Empire — 23 November 1941, Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR) was a Ukrainian architect, , who made significant contributions to the architectural landscape of Kharkiv and beyond, primarily work ...

, who performed the work free of charge.''Н.І. Полянська; В.В. Сафонова; М.Є. Корнієнко; О.І. Танько; О.П. Куніч; І.Я. Лосієвський; В.Р. Антонова; І.В. Дмитриченко; Н.П. Борисенко; В.В. Мирошнікова; В.Г. Прохорова; В.В. Істоміна; Н.І. Капустіна''. Бібліотека в історичному просторі трьох епох: До 125-річчя Харківської державної наукової бібліотеки ім. В. Г. Короленка. Нариси / Видавнича група: Ідея, В.Д. Ракитянська; Керівник проєкту, В.В. Мирошнікова; Відповідальний редактор, С.М. Миценко; Редактор і коректор, Є.О. Пахарук, Н.О. Стрілець; Переклад, Г.М. Герасимова, В.А. Долбня, Л.І. Міллер; Відповідальний за випуск, В.Д. Ракитянська. — Х. : «ІРІС», 2011. — 240 с. — 2`000 прим. — The building is a and of local significance of Ukraine (№ 7153-Ха) and a monument of history of local significance of Ukraine (№ 91). The library building was damaged by Russian shelling during the battles for Kharkiv in 2022.

History

When the need arose for a new building for the

Library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...

Board, after several options, they settled on almost the only plot in the city center that had not yet been built up and belonged to

Kharkiv University The V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University (), also known as Kharkiv National University or Karazin University, is a public university in Kharkiv, Ukraine. It was founded in 1804 through the efforts of Vasily Karazin, becoming the second old ...

. In the 18th century, the classes of the

Kharkiv Collegium The Kharkov Collegium also known as Kharkiv Collegium or Kharkiv College (from 1721 to 1726 Belgorod Slavic School) was an educational institution in the Kharkov Governorate in the Russian Empire (now Kharkiv, Ukraine), which was founded in 1 ...

were located on this site, and later — the Main Sloboda-Ukrainian School. On May 16, 1899, in the presence of Governor , Rector of Kharkiv University M. M. Alekseyenko, Chairman of the Board of the

KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...

D. I. Bagaliy, representatives of the

Kharkiv City Council Kharkiv City Council () is the city council for the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, and is elected every five years to run the city's local government. History Until 1870, members of the city council were elected according to the estate order, and ...

and the public, the solemn laying of the building took place. The project was carried out free of charge by the prominent Ukrainian architect Oleksiy Mykolayovych Beketov. For this work, he received the title of

Academician An academician is a full member of an artistic, literary, engineering, or scientific academy. In many countries, it is an honorific title used to denote a full member of an academy that has a strong influence on national scientific life. Accor ...

of Architecture. In the summer of 1900, the building was erected: a two-story building with a

basement A basement is any Storey, floor of a building that is not above the grade plane. Especially in residential buildings, it often is used as a utility space for a building, where such items as the Furnace (house heating), furnace, water heating, ...

with a total area of 1297 m² (608 sq. fathoms). The extension to the library building from was completed later, when Kharkiv was under the occupation of the Soviet Union, and the country and priority was given to functionality, not beauty. But this building stylistically repeats the original building. It was built according to the design of the author of the main building in the late 1920s and partially bombed during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1970–1980, according to the project of architect Yu. V. Weitzman, a 12-story book depository was added to the building from the courtyard. Currently, the library stores approximately 7,000,000 publications, which makes it the largest library in

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

and

Eastern Ukraine Eastern Ukraine or East Ukraine (; ) is primarily the territory of Ukraine east of the Dnipro (or Dnieper) river, particularly Kharkiv, Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts (provinces). Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts are often also regarded as ...

. Its funds contain many ancient books and documents. Among them are the rarest Ukrainian old prints of the 17th–18th centuries; lifetime editions of works by classics of world literature; a collection of geographical maps of the 18th-20th centuries; scientific and technical publications; a unique collection of books of the 19th and 20th centuries, etc. In 1986, the building was restored by architect . The library building was damaged by Russian shelling during the battles for Kharkiv in 2022. In particular, historical windows and a

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

window in the

skylight A skylight (sometimes called a rooflight) is a light-permitting structure or window, usually made of transparent or translucent glass, that forms all or part of the roof space of a building for daylighting and ventilation purposes. History O ...

were broken, facades, interior decoration and a grand piano were damaged, two book depositories and the main building were damaged. The library building was partially preserved later, but as of 2025, it has not yet resumed stable operation. An information plaque with the text "Built according to the design of Academician of Architecture Beketov O. M. in 1901" is installed on the facade, as well as a memorial plaque in honor of , an outstanding librarian, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, and public figure who worked in the building in 1890–1918.

Architecture

Technical drawing of Kharkiv Public Library by Alexei Beketov

The building is made in the

Neo-Renaissance style Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of ...

, like many other Beketov

buildings A building or edifice is an enclosed structure with a roof, walls and windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, and have been adapted throughout ...

. Originally, the building was to be crowned with a sculpture of the ancient

Greek goddess Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories concern the ancient ...

wisdom Wisdom, also known as sapience, is the ability to apply knowledge, experience, and good judgment to navigate life’s complexities. It is often associated with insight, discernment, and ethics in decision-making. Throughout history, wisdom ha ...

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretism, syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarde ...

, but for an unknown reason, this was not implemented. The facades are decorated with

pilasters In architecture, a pilaster is both a load-bearing section of thickened wall or column integrated into a wall, and a purely decorative element in classical architecture which gives the appearance of a supporting column and articulates an ext ...

of the

composite order The Composite order is a mixed order, combining the volutes of the Ionic order capital with the acanthus leaves of the Corinthian order.Henig, Martin (ed.), ''A Handbook of Roman Art'', p. 50, Phaidon, 1983, In many versions the composite o ...

, mascarons of women,

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

with wreaths and vegetation. The first floor is rusticated, decorated with simpler pilasters between the windows and a wave-like pattern on the

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...

. The main entrance is framed by a

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...

and

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

mascarons. The additional entrance is less decorative, but the original wooden doors have been preserved there. The

gate A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word is derived from Proto-Germanic language, Proto-Germanic ''*gatan'', meaning an opening or passageway. Synonyms include yett (which comes from the same root w ...

leading to the courtyard from the right wing of the building was walled up during the years of

Soviet occupation During World War II, the Soviet Union occupied and annexed several countries effectively handed over by Nazi Germany in the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939. These included the eastern regions of Poland (incorporated into three differe ...

. Above them is a

caryatid A caryatid ( ; ; ) is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term ''karyatides'' literally means "maidens of Karyai", an ancient t ...

. Inside the library, the original interiors have been preserved:

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

stairs with a wrought-iron fence, a

with a

window (destroyed by a Russian missile strike in 2022), wall framing. Of particular interest is the main reading room. It is made in the Neo-Renaissance style, the walls and ceiling are richly decorated with stucco, decorated with pilasters, on their capitals you can see female mascarons. On the ceiling you can see stucco

torches A torch is a stick with combustible material at one end which can be used as a light source or to set something on fire. Torches have been used throughout history and are still used in processions, symbolic and religious events, and in jugglin ...

, mascarons of women and plant stucco around a large white canvas. Probably, there used to be a fresco on it, as in many other interiors by Beketov. The extension to the library building from stylistically repeats the original building. The high-rise extension in the courtyard and from , which has become one of the of the city center, is a large book depository. It was built in 1970-1980 in the

Brutalist style Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the ba ...

. The facade is completely devoid of decoration, only the windows separate the huge

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete or ferro-concrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ...

building.

Interesting fact

Although the building was erected in 1899–1900, the facade shows the numbers "1886", which reflect the year the library was founded. Before the construction of a separate building, the library was located alternately at three addresses, the first — an outbuilding in the courtyard of the City Duma on .

Members of the Library Board

* , mandatory member of the Board from the city public administration (1900–1918) * (1902–1915) * (1914–1918)

Chairmen of the Board

* (1885–1893) * (1893–1894) * Bahaliy Dmytro Ivanovych (1894–1906) * (1906–1907) * Abramov Georgiy Mykolayovych (1907–1908), member of the Board 1905–1908 * (1908–1910), member of the Board 1894–1918 * (1910–1918), member of the Board 1909–1918Шалыганова А. Л. Правление Харьковской общественной библиотеки, 1885—1918: биобилиографический словарь. — Kharkiv, 2016. — P. 298.

Gallery

File:Kharkov public library postcard.jpg, Postcard with an image of the Kharkiv Public Library. Early 20th century File:Україна, Харків, пр. Короленка, 18 фото 5.JPG, From the side of File:Громадська бібліотека (пров. Короленка, 18) 10.jpg, Main entrance File:Громадська бібліотека (пров. Короленка, 18) 11.jpg, Lion mascaron File:Korolenka 18 (43).jpg, Female mascaron File:Громадська бібліотека (пров. Короленка, 18) 03.jpg,

Caryatid A caryatid ( ; ; ) is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term ''karyatides'' literally means "maidens of Karyai", an ancient t ...

File:Громадська бібліотека (пров. Короленка, 18) 09.jpg, Details File:Короленка,18,Харків.jpg, Main reading room File:Ліпнина у бібліотеці ім. Короленка 4362312.jpg, Reading room decoration File:Ліпнина у великій читальній залі 467845458.jpg, Reading room decoration File:Короленко,18,м.Харків.jpg, Stairs File:Korolenka 18 (8).jpg, Book Depository

History

Architecture

Interesting fact

Members of the Library Board

Chairmen of the Board

Gallery

See also

References

External links