Situated in Albena, a sprawling Bulgarian resort on the Black Sea coast, Beach Library is the first of its kind in the European Union, and boasts over 6,000 books in more than 15 languages.
A project by German architect Herman Kompernas, the open-air library lies in front of Hotel Kaliakra and houses everything from Bulgarian literature to memoirs and works of fiction. Its 140 white shelves are made from a special material which is resistant to sun and wind, and when it rains, the bookcases are protected by a vinyl cover.
In order to make it easy for people to browse, volumes are arranged by countries, and can be borrowed for free. The only suggestion is to return the material to the library once finished.
Designed to foster reading among tourists during their summer holiday, Albena’s Beach Library is constantly expanding, as guests are encouraged to donate their own books for others to enjoy. Its goal is to provide customers with an enriching cultural exchange experience.
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‘i have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library.’
― Jorge Luis Borges
In honor of National Library Week (I’ve extended it to International Library Week)
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Source Credits: Meeroona, Travel Away, Bulgarian Travel News
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What a fantastic thing to do!
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such a great idea –
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Wonderful idea!
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yes, how fun is this?!
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In parts of the UK there are old red phone boxes that are now used as libraries, again with the encouraging of people leaving their own books too
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I love that!
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“The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.” ~ Albert Einstein
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Right!!
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Another great idea that could be easily rolled out to most holiday resorts around the world. And it saves the hassle of having to pack books to read on holiday.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Yes, I so agree.
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making beach reads easier!
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Cheers to the readers, Beth!
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Here’s to them, wherever they may be!
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💕
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❤️
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I’ve seen this before. Such a fun idea! As someone who works in public libraries, how amazing would it to be to get to work on a beach! 😊
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It was new to me and I find it fascinating! I think they should have it at beaches everywhere and yes, you should definitely work at one.
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I have my doubts about this. Seems like being on the beach would inevitably mean sand in and on the books.
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I think it would be OK. I mean these are books that are meant to be read at the beach and left there along with books that people bring to the beach and leave there.
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A gem! And so wise to use National Library Week to affirm our connections to the world at any time, beth—but especially now.
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Yes, we need these affirmations, especially now
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A little sand between pages…grist for the reader…is a good thing! 😜🥰😜
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Fiber!
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LOL!!! 😜🤣😜
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didn‘t know about that library; but know them very well from nearly all the countries I‘ve lived in. Not in such a size, but still – I donate all my English books to a nearby German town with tons of E spoken tourists. Every time we visit that place, i take some 20-30 books with me and place them in their outdoor library. Last time I put 32 books there in the evening and next day around 12, one was left! it‘s a wonderful way to spread joy and make ppl enjoy reading.
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How wonderful, thank you for that!
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Fantastic idea.. till winter :)
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It sounds like they are in a warm climate and they have a covering
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It would be sad if that number of books were ruined. We have a small outdoor library but only for the summer.
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What a creative idea. I bet it’s well-used.
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I agree, and I really like the added feature of it having books in a variety of languages
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First time hearing of this. Love it!
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Fabulous idea!
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And I love that there are books in variety of languages
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Yes, that is excellent. Made me think of the Worlds of Words Center at the University of Arizona. 👍🏼
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can you tell me about it?
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Yes, I’d be happy to. Thank you for asking! It is a wonderful center in the U of A college of education that houses an impressive selection of international literature with a team of dedicated educators who promote global literacy. Here is their about page:
https://wowlit.org/about/
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Thank you! How wonderful
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You’re very welcome and yes! 📚
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I’ve never heard of this! I LOVEEEE it! What an amazing idea.
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Saaaaaaame!
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WOW!!! What a neat idea – Love it 🥰
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Isn’t it though!?
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Yes! :D
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When I ran my pub, one entire wall in the main bar had shelves of books on it from top to bottom. It worked on a take-one leave one basis. It was so popular it even once featured in a TV programme!
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I absolutely love that that was part of the pub you should write about that
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I absolutely love this. What a fabulous idea.
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And how thoughtful that it’s in a variety of languages
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Absolutely.
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I have never heard of it before. What a great idea!
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I think so too!
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A wonderful idea — this expands the idea of a “beach read” book 🌞
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Next level
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What a great idea!
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Yes!
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brilliant
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such a great idea
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I bet they have tons of different books … but I bet there’s one book they don’t include in the beach library. What do you think Beth? Can you guess? Jaws by Peter Benchley! Ha ha! 🦈🦈🌊🌊🤣🤣🤣🤦🏼♂️😎
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hahahhahahaha!
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Dun-dun-dun-dun. Ha, ha.
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kudos to Kaliakra :)
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yes!
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Here’s to libraries around the world, wherever they exist!
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you never know where you’ll find them!
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This is just the best thing I’ve seen this week. Wow!
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it’s such a positive
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A fabulous concept!
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so smart
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This is amazing.
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such a brilliant idea
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That is a great idea. I love reading at the beach (as well as swimming)
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I so agree – reading and floating in my case
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Super Idea, those Germans are great :-) hehe
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you know it firsthand )
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People come up with beautiful ideas
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they really do, there is always a new idea
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Very true. A great idea
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Brilliant
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a great idea for many reasons –
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YES!!!
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So cool!
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😀
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Fabulous. You come up with some great posts, Beth. Thank you!
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I love finding interesting things in the world
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It’s obvious. Thank you!
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This is fabulous
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such a brilliant idea
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WOW!
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pretty cool idea –
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It is – but I hope they have a cover for when it rains and can remove the books ahead of storms. Otherwise all those books will either be soaked or wash away!
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it did sound like they have a cover for it so they should be okay
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Excellent! Can’t read at the beach if the books are all wet, so it would make sense for them to have a cover. It’s a really neat idea. :D
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<3
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