The Rikhardinkatu library is a

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

Kaartinkaupunki Kaartinkaupunki (, ) is a neighbourhood in the southern part of Helsinki, Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to ...

Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

History

The library building, representing the

Renaissance Revival architecture Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival architecture, Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival ar ...

, was designed by Finnish architect

Theodor Höijer Carl Theodor Höijer (20 February 1843, Helsinki – 31 October 1910, Helsinki) was a Finnish architect. He designed a large number of buildings in central Helsinki. He was the first architect in Finland who managed to pursue a truly successful ...

and was built in 1881 as the first building in the

Nordic countries The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; ) are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe, as well as the Arctic Ocean, Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic oceans. It includes the sovereign states of Denm ...

designed as a general library.Helsingin kaupunginkirjasto – Rikhardinkadun kirjasto
/ref> Later, in the 1920s, an additional floor designed by architect Runar Eklund and a wing building known as the book tower were added to the inner courtyard. The library served as Helsinki's main library until 1986. When Helsinki's new main library was opened in

Itä-Pasila Itä-Pasila ( Finnish), Östra Böle ( Swedish) is a neighborhood in the Pasila subdivision of Helsinki, Finland. It is known for its brutalist architecture, was built in the 1970s and 1980s. It is a highly mixed-use area of offices, flats and ...

, renovation work lasting two years was started at the Rikhardinkatu library. The renovation, planned by professor Olof Hansson, sought to return the building's original style. The second phase of the renovation was completed in 2003, when the new Internet room and the

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

of the reading hall were taken into use. New premises for music were also opened. The library premises have also hosted the Art Association of Finland and the

Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters The Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters (, , ) is a Finnish learned society for natural sciences, social sciences and humanities. It is a bilingual (Swedish and Finnish) science academy and the oldest of the four science academies in Finland. ...

. At the 1882 meeting of the

Diet of Finland The Diet of Finland (Finnish language, Finnish ''Suomen maapäivät'', later ''valtiopäivät''; Swedish language, Swedish ''Finlands Lantdagar''), was the Diet (assembly), legislative assembly of the Grand Duchy of Finland from 1809 to 1906 ...

, the common estates of Finland met at the freshly completed library building.Säätyvaltiopäivien ajankohdat ja kokoontumispaikat
Archive of the Parliament of Finland. Accessed on 1 August 2012. There is a plaque mentioning this at the second floor of the library.

References

External links

* {{coord, 60, 09, 58.4, N, 24, 56, 46, E, region:FI-ES, display=title Libraries in Finland Buildings and structures in Helsinki Kaartinkaupunki Libraries established in 1881