Stockholms stadsbibliotek, Stockholm

Stockholm Public Library is a library building designed by Gunnar Asplund, and its tall cylindrical rotunda gives the exterior a striking monumental form. The building belongs to Nordisk klassicism, yet Asplund reduced classical decoration to clear geometric shapes. Look at the rotunda as a whole: an earlier dome proposal gave way to this powerful cylinder, partly inspired by Claude Nicolas Ledoux’s Barrière Saint-Martin in Paris.

The library opened on 31 March 1928. Its design grew from Asplund’s study of American libraries, where he encountered open shelving; here, visitors could reach books without asking library staff for help. Every piece of furniture was designed for its particular place and purpose.

The main reading room occupies the rotunda, surrounded by smaller reading rooms and light courts. The building held more than 1.5 million books as part of the wider library service. It has been closed for renovation since 2024, with reopening planned for 2028. So what you see today is both a celebrated work by Gunnar Asplund and a building undergoing a major renewal, after nearly a century as Stockholm’s main library.