Literary activities, reading, multilingual libraries

Multilingual libraries and cultural centers

National Library of Luxembourg

The National Library of Luxembourg welcomes the public since the end of 2019 in a brand new ultra-modern building located Avenue Kennedy in Kirchberg.

Located near theBibliothèque Nationale tramway stop, the BNL has a bright and spacious infrastructure that is ideal for reading. Created in 1899, the National Library of Luxembourg is a public library, open to all.
You will find more than 200,000 publications referring to the Grand Duchy, as well as more than 20,000 media documents. Since its creation, the BNL is the reference library for scientific works. This is where you will find all publications about Luxembourg, in print or digital form.

Numerous reading rooms with computers, scanners and printers, as well as a media library are available to visitors. Access to the precious reserves and other rare works is possible by prior appointment.
The BNL also organizes conferences or exhibitions on various subjects. The NL becomes a real cultural meeting place.

Any person residing in the Grand Duchy or in the Greater Region can register free of charge at the BNL and borrow books via an automatic terminal.
People who are at least 14 years old can take books home and return them 24 hours a day through a drop-off system outside the building.
Students of a higher education institution accredited by the Luxembourg government can also borrow books. An international loan service allows access to documents not available on the bibnet. lu network , linking 57 libraries in the country.

Since 1982, a Bicherbus, or library on wheels, has been serving about 100 towns and villages in Luxembourg, once a week.

Free wifi. Restaurant, café and outdoor terrace.
Opening hours: Tuesday-Friday, 10 am to 8 pm, Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm

City-Library of the City of Luxembourg

The Cité-Bibliothèque is the municipal library and media library of the City of Luxembourg, Rue Genistre. Open to the public for reading, consulting books or media. The objective is to promote culture and develop reading among young and old.

There are several sections, including:

• Luxembourgish, French, German and English literature,
• children’s section with books for children and teenagers, children’s activities offered on Saturday mornings
• workroom with dictionaries and encyclopedias, twelve workstations with free Internet access and printer (limited time of 1 hour/day).
• media library with DVDs, Blu-rays in Luxembourgish, German, French and English, audio books, language methods. Possibility of viewing films on site.

Registration at the Cité Bibliothèque is free for all Luxembourg citizens and residents of neighbouring countries upon presentation of an identity document. Registration entitles you to the free loan of 4 books, 2 audio recordings for a period of 1 month, 2 DVDs for a period of 1 week and 2 language methods for a period of 1 month.

Library of the 2 Museums

Since 1996, this library has been welcoming researchers, students and museum staff by appointment only, thanks to its collection of 6,000 art and history books. This library also contains a collection of precious works, including the first book on the history of Luxembourg written by Jean Bertels, Historia de principibus Luxemurgensibus.

Conservatory of Music Library

Created in 1906, this library contains more than 28,000 books. There are books on theater, instruments, music history, music philosophy and therapy. The library is located in Rue Charles Martel in Luxembourg.

CID Fraen an gender

CID Fraen an Gender specializes in diversity and inclusion. Located at 14 Rue Beck, it offers multiple educational books in different languages on LGBTQ+ and feminist issues. You can find works such as Simone de Beauvoir’s Le Deuxième Sexe or Mona Chollet’s Réinventer l’amour. By prior appointment, it is possible to consult the historical works of the Women’s Liberation Movement in Luxembourg. The objective is to fight against all forms of discrimination. Some anti-racism books will also be available.

CITIM Third World Training Center

Here you will find books about the world and in particular the countries or authors of the southern countries to better understand the world and the differences in the world. The CITIM is located in Rue Adoplhe Fischer in Luxembourg.

Luxembourg Center for Architecture

On Rue de la Tour Jacob in Luxembourg, Le Luca offers more than 8,000 books on the built environment and architecture. You can consult monographs by Le Corbusier or works on the history of architecture or design. The Luxemburgensia section offers studies of local architects.

Please contact your local library formore information.

See also the cultural centers in Luxembourg

Find the libraries of the different cultural centers and associations present in Luxembourg on the community pages of the Just Arrived Ambassadors Clubwebsite.

Circulo culturale e recreativo Eugenio Curiel ASBL

At 107 Route d’Esch in Luxembourg, you will find more than 8,000 volumes, mainly in Italian, but also in Portuguese, Spanish and Luxembourgish. These books deal with different subjects, including current events and politics.

Search, consult and reserve books online

On the a-z.lu website, you can search for documents, consult them or reserve them in the Luxembourg libraries affiliated to the bibnet.lu network, coordinated by the National Library of Luxembourg.

You will have access to the catalog of works held by the different libraries, cultural centers, schools and universities, private or public libraries belonging to this network.

Reading and cultural workshops for children

Introduce your children to literature and the pleasure of reading by taking them to libraries and reading workshops from an early age.

Every first Saturday of the month, the CITIM, Third World Information Center, proposes to read a story about a Third World country and its inhabitants to children. Your children will be able to discover the world as part of the “Children discovering the world” theme. The entrance is free, it is better to reserve in advance. The program is available one week in advance on the CITIM website.

With the aim of promoting theintegration of foreigners in Luxembourg, the association “Il était une fois ” allows immigrant children to maintain contact with their mother tongue. For this purpose, different cultures and languages are honored during the activities proposed by the ASBL, especially during the reading workshops.

Since 2007, “Raconte-moi encore…” animated by Sylvie Beythan-Ory tells tales to children in the framework of her reading workshop in Luxembourg. She brings her characters to life and captivates her audience through the use of musical instruments, dolls and puppets. An adapted decor gives even more magic. With games and crafts, she knows how to involve children in the illustration of her stories. The chosen themes are diverse, seasonal or adapted to a particular universe. More information on the website www.racontemoi.lu

You canalso join the reading workshop of the Cité-Bibliothèque municipale de Luxembourg, on Saturday mornings from 10:30 to 11:30.

Bicherschaff – Bookcase

The book closets are accessible to all, adults and children, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, free of charge and without registration.

These bookcases are becoming more and more common in Luxembourg. Some communities are recycling old telephone booths into self-service bookstores.
Interested parties can borrow one or more books, read them on site or at home, and return them to the closet after reading. The reader can also keep the selected books and replace them with others.

You will find these bookcases in Luxembourg among others:

• Place de Gand – Luxembourg-Belair
• Place du Théâtre – Luxembourg-Centre
• Place Laurent – Luxembourg-Limpertsberg
• PLace Quartier Stuff – Luxembourg Kirchberg
• Rue Léon Kauffman – Luxembourg Cents

The waste disposal centers also offer recycling corners, where people drop off useless items. Everyone can then help themselves. You can find books for adults or children, toys,…