Biblioteca San Giorgio, Public library in Pistoia, Italy
Biblioteca San Giorgio is a public library in Pistoia, designed by architect Massimo Pica Ciamarra and opened in 2007. It occupies a 5,000 m² building with three vaulted naves, a reconstruction that echoes the original Breda factory sheds. The interior spans three floors: the ground floor holds the Terzani auditorium, café, children's section and newspaper area; the first floor houses the Bigongiari, Desideri and Manzini rooms and a terrace; the second floor contains the media library, course room and Pistoia documentation centre.
The library was established in 2007 based on architectural plans by Massimo Pica Ciamarra, marking the creation of a central cultural facility for the city. This development reflected Pistoia's commitment to strengthening its cultural infrastructure in the contemporary era.
The library's name comes from the San Giorgio area, site of the Officine San Giorgio works founded in 1906. Inside, visitors can see Anselm Kiefer's Die Grosse Fracht, an acrylic and molten-lead canvas dominating the Sala Dipartimenti, and Rossella Baldecchi's triptych Il cielo addosso in the Sala Manzini, inspired by Gianna Manzini's novel Ritratto in piedi. The Sala Bigongiari holds poet Piero Bigongiari's collection.
Visitors can browse digital catalogs, use computer stations, and attend workshops to explore available resources and learn new skills. The library operates a membership system for borrowing materials, which is available to local residents and other eligible patrons.
The library keeps the archive of the former San Giorgio workshops, saved from destruction and entrusted to the municipality of Pistoia; the Breda railway material from Sesto San Giovanni went to ISEC. In the Sala Dipartimenti hangs Anselm Kiefer's Die Grosse Fracht, a mixed-technique canvas of acrylic and molten lead, the first work placed permanently in the building.
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