National Library of Belarus – Minsk, Belarus - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

National Library of Belarus

Minsk, Belarus

Glowing orb in Minsk houses 8,600,000 items. 

View all photos
konung/Flickr (Creative Commons)
konung/Flickr (Creative Commons)
earthhour_global/Flickr (Creative Commons)
Wikimedia (Creative Commons)
ermakov/Flickr (Creative Commons)
ermakov/Flickr (Creative Commons)
View of Minsk from atop National Library of Belarus critter (Atlas Obscura User)
182
179
Top Places in Minsk
It is a private residence but the building can be seen from the outside.
Lee Harvey Oswald's Apartment in Minsk
Minsk, Belarus
Museum of Stones
Minsk, Belarus
Cat Museum
Minsk, Belarus
 See All

In 2006 when the new National Library of Belarus was constructed, nobody had ever heard of a rhombicuboctahedron. With 8 triangular faces and 18 square faces, the bizarre geometric shape was chosen for the new design of the library and has been turning heads since its construction.

Designed by architects Mihail Vinogradov and Viktor Kramarenko, the library’s main section is 236 feet high and features 22 levels of collections along with large conference rooms that can seat 500 people. In total, the library has 8,600,000 items available in a variety of languages and types of media.

Although its size and shape are unique, when the building is illuminated it steps into a class of its own. Dominating the landscape for miles around, the glowing orb has almost become more of a tourist attraction than a functional library. This is probably aided by the newly designed park which houses the library, along with the library’s observation deck that looks over Minsk.

 

libraries architectural oddities architecture
Community Contributors
atimian
Added by
atimian
Johan SWE
Blindcolour
critter
Annetta Black
Edited by
Johan SWE, Blindcolour, critter, Annetta Black
Published
December 2, 2011
Edit this listing
Make an Edit Add Photos
Nearby
Slepianskaya Waterway System
1.09 miles
Museum of Stones
1.83 miles
Lee Harvey Oswald's Apartment in Minsk
3.43 miles
Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
Near This Place
The cascade near the Voskhod (Vostok) One neighborhood, features concrete diving piers. Signs remind parkgoers not to dive or swim in the stream
Minsk, Belarus

Slepianskaya Waterway System

A system of constructed rapids and concrete waterfalls in a linear park on the Slepnya River.
The Museum of Stones mimics the shape and topography of Belarus.
Minsk, Belarus

Museum of Stones

A unique park tells the geological history of Belarus in a national “map” of thousands of boulders and blue spruce.
It is a private residence but the building can be seen from the outside.
Minsk, Belarus

Lee Harvey Oswald's Apartment in Minsk

The apartment building where JFK's assassin lived after defecting to the Soviet Union.
Site of the First Congress of the Russian Communist Party
Minsk, Belarus

Site of the Russian Social-Democratic Workers' First Congress

The secret meeting held in this building would forever change the world.
Related Places
Birmingham, England

Library of Birmingham

The largest public library in the United Kingdom was designed to reflect the industrial and artistic history of the city where it stands.
The tunnel of books.
Yangzhou Shi, China

Yangzhou Zhongshuge

Mirrored floors and arched shelves create the illusion of an infinite tunnel of books.
Stockholm Public Library
Stockholm, Sweden

Stadsbiblioteket (Stockholm Public Library)

The library's graceful rotunda is like a bibliophile's temple.
Alternate view from the second floor
Washington, D.C.

Riggs Library

A wondrous old library overlooking the nation's capital.
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

From Around the Web