Hauptbücherei Wien

The site of the Vienna Main Library, Hauptbücherei Wien, is very unconventional. It is located above the tram and underground tracks and on one of the of busiest streets in the city, Gürtel. The U-Bahn/Metro station is Burggasse-Stadthalle. On the southern façade the building has stairs where the visitors can sit when the weather is suitable. On the roof there is a café, restaurant and bar. The library has an imposing collection including a lot of media in foreign languages.  There are many reader and study seats, some of them with a marvelous view over the city. But there are few places to be social and work in groups.  The fees for library users are quite high. This library can be interesting even for tourists so it could be worth marketing in city maps and guide books.  FOUR stars: Very good.