Permeke Library, Central public library at De Coninckplein, Antwerp, Belgium.
Permeke Library is a public library in Antwerp spanning multiple floors with separate areas for books, digital collections, computer terminals, and reading spaces. The layout allows visitors to find different types of resources and working areas throughout the building.
The building housed the Permeke Motors garage, run by Oscar Permeke, a cousin of the artist Constant Permeke, from 1926 until the business went bankrupt in 1982. The city library's main branch moved in after the Lange Nieuwstraat site closed on 1 September 2004, and it opened here on 22 April 2005, the last day Antwerp was World Book Capital. The design office Stramien drew up the conversion plans, which cost 15 million euros excluding VAT.
The library is named after Oscar Permeke, a cousin of the painter Constant Permeke, who ran the Permeke Motors garage in the building; it does not refer to the artist. The poem 'Binnen' by Belgian writer Bart Moeyaert is on display inside.
The library is open seven days a week and receives around 2,200 visitors a day. It occupies a converted garage at the De Coninckplein in the Amandus-Atheneum district, northeast of the city centre. Besides lending areas, the building holds meeting rooms, gathering spaces and an auditorium with a foyer.
The library is named after Oscar Permeke, a cousin of the artist Constant Permeke, who ran the Permeke Motors Ford garage in the building from 1926 until it went bankrupt in 1982. The name refers to the garage, not to the painter. The conversion by Antwerp design office Stramien cost 15 million euros excluding VAT.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,815 contributors worldwide.