EL AL | Atmosphere

Photo by Albatross Photo by Iwan Baan

At the end of October and in the shadow of the war in Gaza, Israel’s new National Library was inaugurated in Jerusalem’s National Quarter. The new building was built thanks to the contribution of Yad Hanadiv and the Rothschild family, as well as the Gottesman family. It sprawls across 46 thousand sqm and 11 floors (5 of which are below ground), that include reading halls that seat up to 600 people, workspaces for researchers and the general public, an archive with millions of books and manuscripts, and spaces for both permanent and temporary exhibitions. Aside from its spectacular contents, the building itself is an architectural gem that’s worth a visit in and of itself. But it’s what the building contains that makes this place unlike any other: there are more than four million books, Discovering cultural treasures | The National Library of Israel

hundreds of thousands of copies of newspapers, more than two million historical photographs, 1,500 personal collections and archives, thousands of historical maps, manuscripts, millions of digital files, audio-visual recordings, posters,

and so much more. In front of the entrance to the library stands Israeli award-winning sculptor Micha Ullman’s “Letters of Light” sculpture, made especially for the occasion. For opening hours and further information: nli.org.il

15

ATMOSPHERE MARCH 2024