Biblioteca Pública del Estado en Burgos, Public library in Plaza San Juan, Burgos, Spain.
The State Public Library of Burgos sits on Plaza San Juan and combines modern design with structural elements from the former San Juan Hospital. The building features a continuous glass facade that opens the interior spaces to the public square outside.
The library's origins lie in the 1847 inventory of books seized from the Church by the Provincial Monuments Commission. It opened to the public on 14 September 1871 in the Casa del Consulado del Mar on Paseo del Espolón. A new building shared with the Provincial Historical Archive opened on Plaza de San Juan on 23 November 1971; the current library, designed by Andrés Celis and Jael Ortega, was inaugurated there in October 2012.
The old collection covers manuscripts, incunabula and printed books up to the 18th century. Its two highlights are the Romanesque Bible of Burgos, from the late 12th-century scriptorium of San Pedro de Cardeña, with 202 parchment folios and two large miniatures, and a copy of Gutenberg's 42-line Bible, printed from 1452 in Mainz on paper.
The library is easy to reach on foot from Plaza San Juan, with welcoming modern entrances that invite visitors inside. The interior offers good lighting and clear wayfinding to help you navigate the spaces.
The building preserves an original Gothic doorway from the 1479 Hospital of San Juan, which survived a fire in 1949. This architectural feature shows how contemporary designers incorporated medieval traces into the modern structure.
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