Library Neude

It all started in 1892 with ‘the man with the frying beards’, Hendrik Adriaan van Beuningen. As a wealthy private citizen, he founded the first public library in the Netherlands: the Openbare Leeszaal, located on the Loeff Berchmakerstraat in Utrecht.

Years later - in 1982 - the Library became a municipal institution. In 2013, this policy was partially reversed. Now located at the Neude in Utrecht, the Library is once again a foundation.

There is much to tell about the place where the Library is housed today - a lot. In 1917, for instance, it was decided to build a new Main Post Office on the Neude. Architect Joseph Crouwel begins the design, construction starts in 1920 and lasts until 1924. It becomes, in the style of the Amsterdam School, a ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’. The Main Post Office will serve until the end of October 2011, when it will be the last in the Netherlands to close its doors for good.

After the post office closes, the possibility of the Central Library being housed in the building will be considered in 2014. Plans and drawings are being made, built, rebuilt, moved and furnished to create a library well suited to the 21st century. Keijsers was able to build and install a lot of custom-made furniture as well as contribute to ‘this living room of the city’. For instance, the reading table, benches, information desks, pantries and workstations are typical custom-made pieces where details make the absolute difference. We also worked with acoustic wall panels that help create a ‘warm’ environment.