Book Mountain is a monument to the power and pleasure of reading. Its visibility and inviting presence is significant in a community with a 10 percent illiteracy rate. Located in the centre of Spijkenisse, the 9.300m2 library takes pride of place on the market square, facing the historic village church from which it appears as a vast mountain of books – Spijkenisse’s Book Mountain. In addition to the library, the building houses an environmental education centre, a chess club, an auditorium, meeting rooms, commercial offices and retail space. The pitched roof references traditional Dutch farmhouses, a reminder of the town’s agricultural heritage erased by 40 years of expansion.

The library’s bookshelves, made from recycled flowerpots, are another nod to Spijkenisse’s agricultural past. The shelves are sustainable, affordable and even fireproof. They provide a functional background for the books by forming banisters, parapets, information desk and bar. They constitute another element in the building’s palette of recycled materials: brick, wood and glass. Sophisticated heating and cooling systems further distinguish the library as a benchmark for sustainable design.

The Library is open until at least 16:00 every day. Special visits on request. For those taking a car, there is parking underneath the adjacent Library Quarter.

Address: Market 40, 3201 CZ Spijkenisse, The Netherlands

Car Park Address: Karel Doormansraat 3, 3201 CE Spijkenisse, The Netherlands

Website: https://www.deboekenberg.nl/ Tel: 0181-616622