During my visit to Riga the other week, I went to The National Library of Latvia one day. It's a short walk across the Daugava River from the Old Town in Riga. You can easily see the library from across the river. Its pyramid shape is very distinctive amongst the other buildings along the riverside, you can't miss it.
Staircase
The first thing that struck me as I entered the library is the criss cross stair case and the open atrium. I'm not a big fan of these type of open spaces as I've had bad experience with them many years ago. However, one cannot deny, aesthetically they add a lot of beauty to a building.
People's Bookshelf
Behind the crisscross staircase is a very special part of the library, called the People's Bookshelf. People are invited to donate a book that has a special meaning to them, and write a personal message about the book on the inside page.
There are 15,000 books on display here, and the bookshelves spans over four floors high. The idea is that the library has a section that is created by the people themselves. I think it's actually a very nice idea. The only downside being any donation will be buried amongst the other 15,000 books. If a donor's objective is to participate in a social project then that's fine, otherwise they'll have to be prepared to forgo a book that means a lot to them.
Viewing Deck
The best part about the library is the viewing decks on the 11th and 12th floor. When I was at the library reception on the ground floor, the staff made a point of telling me about it otherwise I would have missed it totally. I mean when one visits a library, you don't exactly think of going to top floor. Normally the further up you go, the more boring the books are. Anyway, I'm glad I did, and it was one of those wow moments for me when the lift doors opened.
I spent ages up here. One because it was the last day of my two week trip and I was getting a bit tired. And two, the view up there was just amazing.
Duvi Raini sculpture
As I was leaving the library, I saw a sculpture outside. Two men sitting on a bench, nothing too special, right?
What if I show it to you from this angle? Didn't expect that did you? These two identical sculptures, one at 1m tall and the other 3m are of the same person, Divi Raini - a renown Latvian poet, playwright, translator and politician. The work points to the transformation that education and individual growth brings while the seating space in between emphasizes this process as an upward straight lane – growth in time and space. Source
I think this is a really interesting sculpture, offering a different perspective on things. Sometimes things aren't what they look like, and if you take a step back, away or elsewhere, you see things that you didn't realise exists.
Here's me sitting next to little Raini | And here's me standing next to big Raini |
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If you're ever in Riga, I would highly recommend taking a short walk across the Daugava River to the library. It makes a nice change to the touristy area and you get a lovely view of the river during the walk, as well as the magnificent view from the observation decks. Entrance to the library is free (of course) as it is a proper functioning library.
