​Deichman Bjørvika opens on June 18

Finally, Oslo gets its new main library. H.R.H Crown Prince Haakon to attend the opening.

Deichman Bjørvika was originally due to open on March 28, but the COVID-19 situation made it impossible. Library Director Knut Skansen is now looking forward to finally allowing people into the new main public library.

“This is something both myself and the people of Oslo have been waiting a long time for. Deichman Bjørvika will be a library for the future. I think many people will be very surprised by the building itself and what the library has to offer,” says Skansen.

“In recent years, several of Deichman's local libraries have redefined what a library can be. The new main library builds on that. Deichman Bjørvika will be as much a place for you to record a podcast or sew your first clothing collection as it will be for borrowing books,” says Skansen.

Deichman Bjørvika's ambition is to receive two million visitors per year, in a corona-free situation. Covering six floors, Deichman Bjørvika offers experiences, technology and knowledge in all forms: literature, music, instruments, film, comics, workshops, sound rooms, children's activities, stages, classrooms, study areas, and much, much more.

Open every day

Deichman Bjørvika will be more accessible than the former main library at Hammersborg. The new library’s doors will be open every day of the week, from morning to evening on weekdays. It will also be possible to return books 24 hours a day to an unmanned“delivery kiosk” (requires a library card).

Some restrictions to the service will however remain due to the COVID-19 situation. For the time being, neither Deichman Bjørvika nor any of Oslo’s other Deichman libraries will be able to host events. There will also be restrictions on the number of people allowed in the library at a time.

“We have worked closely with the health authorities to find a way of opening in a responsible manner with regard to infection control. We are now there, and people should be able to feel safe when they visit us,” says Merete Lie, department director for Deichman Bjørvika.

A hub

Deichman Bjørvika is located between the Opera and Oslo Central Station, just a few steps from the tram, bus, train and metro.

“Deichman has over 20 libraries all over Oslo, and Deichman Bjørvika will be the main library connecting them all. I am looking forward to welcoming all the people of Oslo to their new main library, and I am very excited about what they will think,” says Merete Lie.

“At a time when libraries are in many places threatened, I am proud that the City Council and the City of Oslo can open the doors of Deichman Bjørvika. Our new main library will provide easier access to literature, knowledge and the joy of reading – and in doing so contribute to the strengthening of democracy, our cultural heritage and the leveling of social differences. It will be a place where we are all welcome and where we all belong,” says Raymond Johansen,  Governing Mayor of Oslo.  

The opening of Deichman Bjørvika will take place on Thursday, June 18 at 1700. Everyone can watch the opening ceremony live on Deichman Bjørvika's Facebook page (streaming). After a short, private ceremony at 1700 to which up to 200 guests have been invited, the public will be allowed in. The confirmed guests are H.R.H. Crown Prince Haakon; Marianne Borgen, Mayor of Oslo; Raymond Johansen, Governing Mayor of Oslo; and Rina Mariann Hansen, Vice Mayor for Culture and Sport in Oslo. At the opening, authors Camara Joof and Lars Saabye Christensen will read a prologue to the library, Maria Lotus and Lars Lillo-Stenberg will provide music for the occasion, and there will be singing from the children's choir of The Norwegian Opera & Ballet.

Deichman Bjørvika, in consultation with the local infection control authority, has decided that the number of simultaneous visitors will be kept to a maximum of 1000 (normally 3000).

Opening hours for Deichman Bjørvika: