​Deichman Bjørvika’s Opening Date Announced

The city of Oslo invites everyone to celebrate the opening of the Deichman Bjørvika library at 1 PM on Saturday March 28, 2020. DJs will play until midnight, and the following day’s programme will be especially suited to families.

Today, Oslo’s Vice Mayor for Culture and Sport Rina Mariann Hansen (Labour Party) announced the opening date of the Norwegian capital’s new main library.

“We hope to see a massive gathering of people in Bjørvika when Deichman Bjørvika opens its doors to children and adults on Saturday March 28 at 1 PM. The new main library will become the city’s most important communal space, with room for 2 million visitors each year,” the Vice Mayor says.

“March 28, 2020 will be a historical landmark for Oslo, on a par with the opening of the very first Deichman library in 1785. I am proud that the people of Oslo have undertaken this endeavour and built themselves a proper public library on the city’s most central plot of land. We will not regret this,” says Hansen.

Library Director Knut Skansen is looking forward to welcoming people to Deichman Bjørvika. The library staff has planned for a public festival that will last for several days.

“I can promise a treasure trove of exciting performances. Sunday will be a day for families, and on Saturday, famous DJs will play as the people of Oslo dance into the night in their new library,” Skansen says.

“In its opening weekend, the library is open until midnight on Saturday, and from 10 AM until 10 PM on Sunday. We have created a programme for children and adults, and we think we may see tens of thousands of visitors in the course of the first two days,” Skansen says.

Situated between the Opera and Oslo Central Station, Deichman Bjørvika will be a world-class modern public library. It aims to be a meeting point for some 2 million visitors each year. Across six floors, Deichman Bjørvika will offer a wide range of experiences, technology, and knowledge, including literature, music, instruments, debates, films, lectures, comics, workshops, sound studios, children’s activities, stage, classrooms, and study desks.

“Make plans to visit the library on Saturday March 28 or Sunday March 29. If you have not set foot in a library for a while, you are probably in for a surprise. Here, you will find not only half a million books, but also everything from 3D printers and debates to a restaurant and a free-to-borrow cinema. Deichman Bjørvika is a library for the future, but its founding principle is one we carry with us from its past: to ensure that everyone in Oslo enjoys the same access to our society’s collective knowledge. That is also the reason everything is free,” says library director Skansen.