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Agence France-Presse

Smack in the middle of Kosovo’s capital, Pristina, the national library is all but impossible to miss.
To some it is an architectural wonder, with its bubble domes and shimmering steel lattice.
“It’s the cherry on the cake of Pristina, and of Kosovo,” declares local tourist guide Muamer Hasani.
Whenever you “search for something about Pristina, the first photo that comes up is of the national library”, he adds.

But for others, the building is an abomination.
“It’s so ugly that it blinds you,” says a middle-aged Pristina resident who asked not to be named.
“We’ve been living with it for decades and it hasn’t been renovated yet. It’s annoying, but what can we do?”
Opened in 1982, the library has witnessed Kosovo’s occasional highs and bitter lows – from the break-up of Yugoslavia to the bloody war with Serbia in the late 1990s, independence and all the turbulent history since.
Its 74 translucent domes were designed to provide natural light for the reading rooms below. The grid of steel covering its brutalist exterior deflects sunlight, cooling the building and protecting the books inside.

Croatian architect Andrija Mutnjakovic, who oversaw the design, said he was trying to reflect Kosovo’s diverse culture and history.
“Like any architect, I am in love with my building. I am glad to see that 40 years after its construction, it is as beautifully preserved as if it opened yesterday,” Mutnjakovic says. He has little time for those who criticise it.
The library’s director, Blerina Rogova Gaxha, agrees.
“It is an iconic object of Kosovar culture, giving Pristina itself identity because it is the main object in the capital that catches the eye,” Rogova Gaxha says.

Its design pays homage to the ancient cultures that had once ruled Kosovo, she said – Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans and Illyrians.
But for newcomers to the Kosovo capital, the cultural references and architectural brilliance are not always apparent at first, or even second, glance.
The Lonely Planet travel guide calls the library “easily one of Pristina’s most notable buildings”.
“Think gelatinous eggs wearing armour,” it adds.
“The building looks quite strange. It is brutalist architecture but interesting,” says Julie, a student from Warsaw, Poland, who was photographing the library from several angles.

“Maybe it is not the prettiest because it has a lot of concrete and is grey from the outside,” says Paula Gers, a student visiting from Germany.
“I wouldn’t rank it among the ugliest. I’ve seen much worse.”
For the library’s director, the ongoing debate over its aesthetics is a blessing in disguise.
“There are not as many readers as there used to be, but there are an extraordinary number of local and foreign visitors,” Gaxha says.
Everyone wants to come and have a look for themselves, she says, trying to work out “why is it considered the ugliest” and wanting to see it from the inside as well as from outside.


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The National Library of Kosovo, in Pristina, is impossible to miss with its 74 translucent domes. Some people love it, while others say it is an abomination. Photo: AFP

The domes of the National Library of Kosovo, in Pristina. The library is all but impossible to miss, with bubbled roofs and latticed steel covering its brutalist stone walls. Photo: AFP

Croatian architect Andrija Mutnjakovic, who designed the National Library of Kosovo, beneath one of its domes. Photo: AFP

The reading room in the National Library of Kosovo. Photo: AFP

An amphitheatre in the National Library of Kosovo, in Pristina. Photo: by AFP

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Tintin creator Belgian cartoonist Georges Prosper Remi, aka Hergé, at home in Brussels, in 1975. Photo: Getty Images

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Spielberg with his award for The Adventures of Tintin at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards, in 2012. 

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Chow (above, right) wears inconspicuous outfits to take photographs. Photo: Harbour City

One of Chow Yun-fat’s “selfies” featured in his photo exhibition at Harbour City. Photo: Harbour City

Chow Yun-fat often plays with his camera to create unique effects. Photo: Harbour City

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Lifestyle

Arts

Balkan state’s National Library, built by Andrija Mutnjakovic, has been called both the ‘cherry on the cake of Pristina’ and an abomination


Balkan state’s National Library, built by Andrija Mutnjakovic, has been called both the ‘cherry on the cake of Pristina’ and an abomination.


Offbeat