Main Public Library

Directly above the underground station Burggasse-Stadthalle one finds the new library, opened in 2003 and created by architect Ernst Mayr whose design won a competition held by the European Union. A supporting structure spanning three stories makes the building look as if it were suspended above the tracks of the old Otto Wagner station pavilions. It is located directly between the two lanes of the Vienna “Gürtel," one of the busiest roads of the city.

The generous open staircase of the library connects to the roof of Urban-Loritz square, which was renovated a few years ago – it conveys a cosmopolitan feeling and signals free access to the knowledge stored in the library. The cafés in the glass rotunda represent casual and communicative urbanity. The library, 150 meters long and 26 meters wide, offers a usable area of 6,000 square meters and provides access to 240,000 pieces of print media (books, scores, trade journals) as well as to 60,000 electronic media items (CDs, CD-ROMs, DVDs and videos).