These libraries in Madrid will make all your dreams come true if you are a furtive lover of silence, a parishioner of calm, looking for an oasis where your concentration becomes indestructible. Knowing these spaces is necessary to discover a friendlier and quieter side of the capital.
And although there is one library for each district here, excellence is sought: one where the building itself can be your distraction, more than justified by its uniqueness and beauty.
1. Escuelas Pías
The Escuelas Pías library, which belongs to the UNED, reopened in the summer of 2021 after two years closed for refurbishment. It is probably one of those open secrets of the capital that adds points of interest and beauty to Madrid. The old Pilar Chapel dates back to the early 18th century, and has vaulted ceilings that leave you with your mouth open wider than your book. It is like to be within the walls of an ancient cathedral, and the location, right in the middle of the Lavapiés is unbeatable.
It can be visited in groups of 5 people, on weekdays and from 9:15 am to 10 am.
Tribulete Street, 14 (Lavapiés)
2. Eugenio Trías Library
A library overlooking the Retiro Park, can you ask for anything more from life? Originally, they were part of the Casa de Fieras facilities that were built in the time of Fernando VI. In 2013 they were rehabilitated and new spaces were added in a project led by architects Jaime Nadal and Sebastián Araujo. Now you can read, look out the window and watch the tree branches sway in the breeze, in the most bucolic setting you’ll find in the city. That’s how ideas flow.
Paseo Fernán Núñez, 24 (next to the Casa de Fieras de El Retiro)
3. National Library of Spain
This is the official residence of knowledge, here they receive and keep copies of all the books published in Spain. To enter you have to get a card, free of charge and in principle are not reading or study rooms with your own documents, everything is arranged to make consultations to the material found there. It is divided into thematic rooms where you can find everything from music to official bulletins. Downstairs there are always exhibitions (also free of charge) to visit during a break.
Paseo de Recoletos, 20-22 (Salamanca District)
4. Library of the Cultural Heritage Institute of Spain
The library of the Instituto del Patrimonio Cultural de España is probably one of the most unique and architecturally interesting libraries in Spain. It is the work of the architect Fernando Higueras and since 2001 it has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest. It is a difficult building to define: looks like a coliseum of the future because of its circular floor plan. But instead of spectacles of Roman antiquity, here there are shelves and shelves of books to surround yourself with (literally). The library is arranged in the form of three rings that give it a monumental structure and a remorselessly interesting appearance that invites you to wander among the shelves.
Pintor el Greco Street, 4 (University City)
5. Pedro Salinas Library
The Centro Pedro Salinas Library belongs to the Network of Public Libraries of the Community of Madrid and is located at Glorieta de Puerta de Toledo. Following the line of Fernando Higueras’s, it has a circular base, and curved shelves surround the tables. It was inaugurated in 1994 and its design is due to the architect Juan Navarro Baldeweg. As an open-access library, it has 219 reading stations and extensive hours, which are further extended during exam time. In addition, a multitude of activities take place here every year: workshops, courses, storytelling and exhibitions, among others.
Glorieta de la Puerta de Toledo, 1 (Puerta de Toledo)
6. Library and Documentation Center of the Reina Sofía Museum
For creatives and art enthusiasts: this is your library, as it is oriented towards specialized research in contemporary art. Imagination and concentration flourish in the museum, which is why there is room for this room, where design and functionality go hand in hand, thanks to Jean Nouvel’s expansion of the museum. It is also a public access library, you only need a library card to consult the collections.
Calle Santa Isabel, 52 (ticket from Ronda de Atocha, Lavapiés)
7. Benito Pérez Galdós Public Library
There are few places in Madrid as stimulating as Conde Duque and its Benito Pérez Galdós Public Library. It is food for all the senses, and also for the intellect. Its library is a diaphanous and cozy room to forget everything and focus your mind once and for all. Its windows overlook a small garden, and a few meters away there are free exhibitions to entertain you during your breaks. It has more than 200 reading stations and 32 Internet access stations with full free access.
Conde Duque Street, 11 (Conde Duque)
8. La Casa Encendida Library
Let your thoughts fly and run wild. That’s what La Casa Encendida is for, whose library respects silence and tranquility above all else. This place is the cradle of the avant-garde and the imagination, so it’s easy to get a little of its creative spirit rubbing off on you while you’re here. It has four spaces: Library – Newspaper and periodicals library, young people’s library, office and media library and 66 reading and study stations. Just below is its cafeteria, ideal to rest for a while.
Ronda de Valencia, 2 (Lavapiés)
9. Ana María Matute Municipal Library
A temple outside the frenzy of the city, where minimalism triumphs and open to a landscape that expands the mind and fulminates stress. The Manzanares, the Royal Palace and the Almudena greet you from outside if you climb to the upper floors in search of inspiration. In this public library in Carabanchel you won’t mind the hours passing by.
Calle de los Comuneros de Castilla, 30 (Carabanchel)
10. Popular Library of the Madrid City Council
Yes, the brick and ceramic shelves that you can find around the Retiro have been in the park for a hundred years. They are popular libraries with a community utility and with a use and history dating back to the decade between 1926 and 1936, although they are not known to the general public and there are always those who are surprised. Although they do not fit into the canons of a typical library, it is interesting how they have endured as a collaborative action in such an individualistic city, and you can always sit on a bench around to read.
Retiro Park