Behold the BOOK MOUNTAIN

Man, do the the Dutch know how to house their books. First, it was this jaw-dropping bookstore converted from at 13th Century church. Now, it’s a library designed to look like a mountain of books. 

Housed in a glass “bell jar” designed to look like a traditional Dutch barn, this new library in Spijkenissse, the Netherlands has terraced open stacks that look like a “book mountain.” The glass exterior makes the “mountain” visible from the street, showcasing the library’s holdings and practically begging patrons to visit. (I doubt Book Riot readers would need much encouragement.)

Construction began in 2009 and finished this summer (though I couldn’t find a great shot of the completed exterior, so perhaps there is some final work to be done there).

And here’s a photograph of the scale model of the building to show what it’ll look like from the outside. (If someone has a better shot, I’d love to include it.)