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Universitetsbiblioteket i Fiolstræde
Fiolstræde 1, 1171 København
The University Library in Fiolstræde is a truly unique building in the Copenhagen cityscape. As a neighbour of Vor Frue Kirke and part of the Universitetsfirkanten, the library has a very central location.
The building was the result of Denmark's very first architectural competition in 1861, won by the 38-year-old architect Johan Daniel Herholdt. He found his inspiration in North Italian cathedrals and Gothic monuments, and the reading room became a kind of masterpiece in two storeys, with cast-iron structures and decorative details.
By October of the opening year 1861 all the books were in place. The library was intended for about 300,000 volumes, and it was presumably thought that this secured it far into the future. But even before 1900 it had become too small, despite far more shelves being moved in than Herholdt had envisaged.
In 1996-97 the library building in Fiolstræde underwent a thorough restoration. The many extra shelves that had been put in over the years were removed, so that the capacity came back down from over 600,000 volumes to the original just under 300.000.
The decorations were restored, and catalogue and 'IT' rooms were established to meet the demands of a modern library of the time. But it proved a brief respite.
In 2009 the old building became too outdated. Space was once again too tight and awkward, for both library staff and borrowers. The library function moved to other locations.
On 3 October 2023 Copenhagen University Library reopened Fiolstræde with a new purpose: the building was to be a meeting place, a place for communication and knowledge sharing and a place where the University of Copenhagen could meet the outside world and vice versa. This is the role the University Library in Fiolstræde has today; a public visitor attraction with a focus on communicating the university's research.
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Past concerts
- 17. Aug 2026Den stærkes ret – den svages pligtKøbenhavn
- 17. Aug 2026Den stærkes ret – den svages pligtKøbenhavn
- 16. Aug 2026Den stærkes ret – den svages pligtKøbenhavn
- 16. Aug 2026Den stærkes ret – den svages pligtKøbenhavn
- 15. Aug 2026Den stærkes ret – den svages pligtKøbenhavn
- 14. Aug 2026Den stærkes ret – den svages pligtKøbenhavn
- 13. Aug 2026Den stærkes ret – den svages pligtKøbenhavn
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