Alvar Aalto Library, Vyborg, Russia.

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Alvar Aalto Library

Vyborg

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A must-see for architecture fans is the beautifully designed public library, one of Finnish architect Alvar Aalto's iconic designs. After years of restoration, the 1935 building looks lovelier than ever, with painstaking efforts to return it to Aalto's original vision. Handmade bronze-handled doors, circular skylights in the reading room, and elegant birchwood shelves are among the many features. It's still a working public library, open to all (though oddly, it lacks wi-fi).

Call to book a guided tour in English.

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