City Library in Salzburg

In the north of Salzburg, a city library has been created on the site of the former football stadium, which is part of the broader urban project "Neue Mitte Lehen" aimed at supporting community life and giving the Lehen district a new urban identity. The entire project originated from a competition proposal by the studio Halle 1. An educational center, a senior center, a community hall, and 48 rental tenement apartments have been built on the site of the eastern football stand. The playing field has been preserved for memorial reasons and serves as a public park. The western stand has been replaced by the library with a commercial ground floor and a panoramic café. The eye-catching rooftop extension appears as though it was designed by artificial intelligence or a student seeking controversy. It is remarkable that in a public procurement process, not only the structurally daring rooftop café in a slanted tower was justified, but also the cantilevered reading room, which simultaneously helps protect the entrance area from inclement weather. The library functions as a common living room accessible to all age and social groups. The rooftop café, which offers views of the surrounding Alps, seems exclusive, yet offers an affordable range and also provides job opportunities for staff with disabilities. On the ground floor, there is a second restaurant and other commercial spaces (bank, drugstore, bakery, gym,...) operating independently of the library's opening hours. In 2012, a simpler department store was built on the other side, also designed by the same studio Halle 1. Car traffic is not excluded but has been significantly calmed (to 20 km/h) in favor of pedestrians and cyclists. The lanes are separated by a tree-lined avenue, and directly in front of the entrance, there are stops for the trolleybus service. Although the Salzburg library is located outside regular tourist routes, it is worth visiting due to the "Neue Mitte Lehen" project, which has exemplarily revitalized the entire suburb.