Oodi, Helsinki Central Library
Oodi, Helsinki Central Library is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Helsinki audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~60 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type landmark
- Suggested visit ~60 min
- Helsinki Helsinki guide
About Oodi, Helsinki Central Library
Helsinki's free central library, opened for Finland's independence centenary in 2018, where the ground floors lend studios, 3D printers and craft rooms and the top floor keeps the books.
Oodi is the central library of the Helsinki City Library, a free public library inaugurated on 5 December 2018, the eve of Finnish Independence Day and the centenary of Finland's independence. Designed by ALA Architects, whose entry won a 2012 open competition against more than 540 rivals, the three-storey building has an undulating facade of Finnish spruce and glass. The project cost about 98 million euros, with the Finnish state contributing 30 million as a centenary gift.
The open top floor, nicknamed book heaven, holds a lending collection of around 100,000 books beneath a wave-like white ceiling. The lower floors house event spaces, workshops, recording studios, 3D printers and maker facilities, and automated robots carry returned items between floors. Since 2019 the building has also contained Kino Regina, the National Audiovisual Institute's cinema. Oodi faces the Finnish Parliament House across Kansalaistori, and in 2019 IFLA named it the world's best new public library.
Did you know? Oodi opened on the eve of Finland's hundredth Independence Day as a kind of national birthday present: the state gave 30 million euros toward the roughly 98-million-euro cost, and the city paid the rest.
How long should you spend at Oodi, Helsinki Central Library?
Plan about ~60 min at Oodi, Helsinki Central Library. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Oodi, Helsinki Central Library worth visiting?
Oodi, Helsinki Central Library is one of the 21 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Helsinki, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Helsinki
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Hear the story of Oodi, Helsinki Central Library
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