Johannesburg City Library, Johannesburg
The Johannesburg City Library is situated in the central business district of the City of Johannesburg. The library is housed in a beautiful Italianate building designed by architect John Perry, which opened its doors in 1935. Its extensive collection boasts over 1.5 million books and various other items, with a membership base exceeding 250,000 individuals.
The library's stunning Italianate structure stands just opposite the ANC's Luthuli House. The construction of the Johannesburg Public Library occurred between 1931 and 1935, following an architectural competition that awarded Cape Town architect John Perry the winning design. The building features an impressive east-facing entrance with three imposing arches and metal doors bearing the initials "LJ" for the English "Library of Johannesburg" and "BJ" for the Afrikaans "Biblioteek Johannesburg."
Peter Kirchhoff intricately carved stone medallions of famous figures on the building's northern and southern facades. Moses Kottler added large sculptures representing various disciplines on the exterior. The building, made of stone with a terracotta roof, once had an atrium, which was replaced with a three-story addition during renovations from 2009 to 2012.
The library has an extensive collection of 1.5 million items, including 700,000 books, DVDs, CDs, sheet music, and periodicals. Recent construction expanded the floor space by 1,967 square meters to a total of 11,198 square meters, accommodating 566 visitors, up from 255. A new coffee shop and various improvements, including upgraded facilities and a transformed theater section into a conference area and a dedicated music and film viewing space, have been added.
The library's stunning Italianate structure stands just opposite the ANC's Luthuli House. The construction of the Johannesburg Public Library occurred between 1931 and 1935, following an architectural competition that awarded Cape Town architect John Perry the winning design. The building features an impressive east-facing entrance with three imposing arches and metal doors bearing the initials "LJ" for the English "Library of Johannesburg" and "BJ" for the Afrikaans "Biblioteek Johannesburg."
Peter Kirchhoff intricately carved stone medallions of famous figures on the building's northern and southern facades. Moses Kottler added large sculptures representing various disciplines on the exterior. The building, made of stone with a terracotta roof, once had an atrium, which was replaced with a three-story addition during renovations from 2009 to 2012.
The library has an extensive collection of 1.5 million items, including 700,000 books, DVDs, CDs, sheet music, and periodicals. Recent construction expanded the floor space by 1,967 square meters to a total of 11,198 square meters, accommodating 566 visitors, up from 255. A new coffee shop and various improvements, including upgraded facilities and a transformed theater section into a conference area and a dedicated music and film viewing space, have been added.
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Johannesburg City Library on Map
Sight Name: Johannesburg City Library
Sight Location: Johannesburg, South Africa (See walking tours in Johannesburg)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: Johannesburg, South Africa (See walking tours in Johannesburg)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in Johannesburg, South Africa
Create Your Own Walk in Johannesburg
Creating your own self-guided walk in Johannesburg is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Johannesburg Introduction Walking Tour
Johannesburg, or Joburg, or "City of Gold", as it is often informally called, is South Africa's largest city. The area's original inhabitants included hunter-gatherers from the San tribes and the Ndebele, a tribe associated with the Zulu. A gold rush in 1884 lead to Johannesburg's founding in 1886. Within a decade, the population had grown to 100,000 inhabitants.
Much... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.9 Km or 1.8 Miles
Much... view more
Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.9 Km or 1.8 Miles
Historical Buildings Walking Tour
Since founded in 1886, following the discovery of gold on what used to be farmland, Johannesburg has evolved into an economic powerhouse of Africa. While most of the city's early buildings adopted architectural styles from its colonial parent, the British Empire, some of them also emulated the prowess of New York City. Let's take a closer look at some of these construction marvels.
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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.7 Km or 0.4 Miles
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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.7 Km or 0.4 Miles
Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip
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