[NETHERLANDS] OBA Library – Best Kept Secret of Amsterdam

15:00 Travel Bunny 0 Comments

In my opinion, the Central Branch of Amsterdam Public Library (Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam - OBA) is the best kept secret of Amsterdam as not many tourist know what this library in the heart of Amsterdam has to offer and admission is free!


Getting there:

It is located on Oosterdokseiland, just east of Amsterdam Central Station. It is open daily from 10:00 to 22:00 (except select holidays).





OBA members can make free use of the computers (with internet) and/or the Wi-Fi network on their own device. Non-members pay € 1 per half hour for the use of a computer.  For non-members, you can still access OBA's free network of Wifi. You just need to click on 'I am not a member' and fill in the fields. Next, you will receive a login name and password by text message for you to enter this information on the login page.



The library has 7 floors. The 7th floor houses the OBA theatre and a restaurant with a terrace offering spectacular views over the city.



This is the restaurant at 7th floor.





The view from the restaurant over the city is amazing! If you want to enjoy the view for longer, you can order a coffee or sandwich at the restaurant.



Next, I headed to lower ground floor which is the children book section. The library has a collection of 1.5 million books, periodicals, CDs, DVDs, games and Blu-ray Discs. But since most of it is in Dutch, I'm more interested with the décor and the hidden gem on this floor.





The décor at children's book floor is just amazing.


This is the hidden gem I'm talking about - the Mouse Mansion!



It took Karina Schaapman more than 3 years to built this incredibly detailed mansion as the set for a children's book series.



The house is built out of cardboard boxes and for the interior mostly scraps have been re-used.



The Mouse Mansion houses a factory, workshops, staircases, warehouses, shops, and so on.



Each room has its own story.







I'm totally amazed by the level of details of this mansion. It's really quite a feat to put all these together. It's definitely the highlight of my visit to OBA.



They also have a giant polar bear and baby bears on display. You can freely take photographs inside the library.


OBA library
open daily from 10:00 to 22:00 (except select holidays)