One of the highest-rated buildings in Poland constructed in the 1990s, an icon of Polish postmodernism and architecture of the transition period. The library was designed in 1993 by Marek Budzyński and his collaborator Zbigniew Badowski. Construction took three years, from 1996 to 1999, when, on 11 June, a few months before the official opening, it was consecrated by John Paul II. The cost of its construction was $80 million. The building has six floors, including two underground floors, which house a car park, technical rooms and library storage facilities. The roof and three facades of the library, known as ‘ecological’, are covered with greenery, while the fourth, known as the ‘cultural facade’, consists of eight huge panels with fragments of various classical texts and symbols (e.g. Maxwell’s equation, the Rigveda in Sanskrit, Ezekiel in Hebrew).

The latter has been the subject of the most criticism over the last two decades. For its ‘kitschy decorativeness’, ‘pretentious inscriptions’ and ‘intrusive symbolism’. However, the functionality of the building (natural lighting, free access to shelves, commercial passage, etc.) and especially the green roof garden (designed by Irena Bajerska), which covers one hectare and has become a favourite walking spot for the capital’s residents, quickly gained recognition. Over the years, the architecture of Budzyński and Badowski has also been recognised by the jury of a number of awards and distinctions, receiving, for example, the 1st degree award of the Minister of Infrastructure (2003), being included in the list of the 20 best projects after 1989 “Poland. Architectural Icon” (2005) and winning the Gazeta Wyborcza poll for the architectural icon of Warsaw (2023). Address: ul. Dobra 56, Warsaw.