National Library of Sweden

Welcome to Humlegården, pronounced Hoom-leh-gor-den, a lush, expansive park in the affluent Östermalm district. As you wander through these ancient, towering oak and linden trees, it is fascinating to consider that in the…

Emerge from the tree line and stand before the magnificent main facade of the National Library. Completed in eighteen seventy-seven, the building was designed by the prominent architect Gustaf Dahl. …

As you pass through the heavy main doors and enter the vestibule, the atmosphere shifts instantly. You are hit by that unmistakable, intoxicating scent of an ancient archive: the dry, slightly sweet aroma of aging paper, leather…

Step quietly to the threshold of the Main Reading Room, or the Stora Läsesalen. Please observe absolute silence here. …

We must now leave the nineteenth-century grandeur behind and descend into the modern, subterranean heart of the library. Follow the stairs down toward the Treasury and the exhibition spaces. …

Step into the Treasury room and approach the massive, custom-built display case in the center. Before you lies the Codex Gigas, known globally as the Devil's Bible. …

Before we conclude our visit, let us pause in the corridor outside the Treasury and reflect on the unseen vastness of the library surrounding us. Beyond these exhibition walls lie the stacks, holding over two million physical…

As we make our way back up the stairs, leaving the subterranean vaults behind, we return to the bright, open vestibule and push through the heavy doors out into the natural light of Humlegården. Take a deep breath of the fresh…