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Warsaw opens “Metroteka” library in metro station to promote reading
In Warsaw, commuters now have the chance to swap their smartphones for books thanks to the new “Metroteka” library, which has opened inside the Kondratowicza metro station on the M2 line. Designed to encourage reading in a country where interest in books has declined, the 150-square-metre space offers around 16,000 titles, as well as areas for children, adults, and public events.
Borrowing is simple: readers can check out books through a contactless self-service machine and return them either in the library or via a 24/7 street-level locker. On its first day, more than 400 books were borrowed, ranging from school readings to travel guides and manuals.
The library also offers a hydroponic vertical garden that grows fresh herbs and flowers underground, bringing greenery into the daily commute. According to Grażyna Strzelczak-Batkowska, deputy director of the Targówek library, Metroteka is meant to be “not just a place to borrow books, but an educational and cultural hub”.
Poland’s National Library has long expressed concern about declining reading habits. A 2024 survey found that only 41% of Poles had read at least one book in the year, a drop compared with previous decades. The loss of 70% of the country’s libraries during the Second World War also left lasting cultural effects, weakening the tradition of family reading.
For Tomasz Makowski, director of the National Library, projects like Metroteka challenge stereotypes that libraries are intimidating or reserved for silence. “Libraries should be open, beautiful, and inviting,” he says. “They are places to meet, discuss, and share knowledge.”