In Warsaw, at Kondratowicza metro station on Line M2, Poland’s first underground library, Metroteka, has opened. The 150-square-metre space brings together more than 16,000 books, a reading area, laptops and free coffee.
Its distinctive design includes a living wall with hydroponic plants, creating a sense of comfort and modernity. The library has become part of everyday city life: books can be borrowed and returned quickly and conveniently through lockers at the station.
According to Tomasz Makowski, director of the National Library of Poland, the project helps revive the tradition of reading, which was lost after the Second World War, when 70% of libraries were destroyed. Similar ideas are also being developed in other countries — for example, projects offering access to e-books in the metro have been launched in New York and Beijing.
Metroteka actively challenges the stereotype of reading as something from childhood: today, it is part of the rhythm of a big city.
