Szabó Ervin Könyvtár

by Chaili Beite

Can’t concentrate at home? Is your roommate too noisy? Do you need books for further reference? These are some of the problems that college students encounter when they try to work at home. It may seem difficult to find a library that is: near the college campus; rich in resource books in Hungarian, English and other languages; and one where you can also study for free. The Szabó Ervin Könyvtár, which is Budapest’s central and largest library, more than satisfies all these requirements, plus it’s a stunning setting that’s rich in history and a real architectural beauty.  

The Szabó Ervin Könyvtár has on its shelves 800,000 children’s and adult books, more than 1,000 foreign and Hungarian magazines and newspapers, and 40,000 audiovisual and digital documents. The seven floor library is also divided into different sections. On each floor there are books, books, DVDs, and CD in different languages. Each floor has also got a different layout and structure.

On the ground floor the collection of videos and DVDs (films), CD-ROMs for language learning, encyclopedias, and popular science material are to be found. You can also find various music CDs, novels in various categories, the latest handbooks or references on law and business. The buffet is at the entrance of the library should you get hungry from all that reading and studying.

The children’s section is on the first floor. On the second floor there are a wide range of books about different subjects from general subjects, to natural science and history. On each subject there is also a subdivision such as social science, pedagogy in general education, history of pedagogy, and higher education. There is also an Internet room where you can use word, excel and surf the internet for a charge.

The reading room of literature and linguistics is located on the third floor. This is also where you can discover books about literature and the history of literature, as well as the latest dictionaries. The library also offers several literary works on CD and video recordings of theatre performances.

The general reading room is on the fourth floor for those who want to use the encyclopedia, reference sources and handbooks, biographies, as well as materials for history. There are also over 200 Hungarian and foreign periodical publications, weekly and daily papers which also extend to the fifth floor. English, and other foreign language books are mixed in with Hungarian books.

The 106 year old building designed by Count Frigyes Wenckheim was once called the Wenckheim palace, now the building is known as the Central Library of Budapest and Szabó Ervin Könyvtár. The historic details of the building may be hard to describe with words , but on the fourth floor there are still remains of the old palace rooms. Now they are called reading rooms, although the walls are still in their original ornate form.

Taking public transport to the library is also very easy. From Keleti you can catch the 7 bus or take the metro to Astoria or Kálvin tér. From Astoria you can jump on the 47 or 49 tram to Kálvin tér from there you can walk to the library.

Budapest Central Library, 1088 Budapest, Szabó Ervin tér 1, Tel: 411-5000, www.fszek.hu