Capodistrian Public Library of Aegina

Capodistrian Public Library of Aegina

The Capodistrian Public Library of Aegina was founded in 1948 and is a revival of the first public library in the country, founded by Ioannis Kapodistrias in Aegina, which eventually became the National Library of Greece. For this reason, it has been called “Capodistriaki” since its foundation. Its collections amount to approximately 50,000 volumes on a wide range of subjects. They include a collection of rare books with emphasis on the Capodistrian period, when Aegina was the first capital of the modern Greek state, as well as an important collection of the local press of Aegina, which is in the process of being digitized. It also holds the archive of the German archaeologist and excavator of the ancient acropolis of Aegina, Gabriel Welter.

A large part of its collections is available for borrowing, while rare books and other materials with limited access are available to researchers on request. At the same time, the library organizes and hosts activities related to books and reading, local history, education and culture, such as the popular cycle of August events “Every Wednesday at Eynardio with a book”. Since its foundation, the library has been housed in a small building in the courtyard of the Aegina Municipality building, where it continues to operate, but will soon move to a space of approximately 860 square meters that includes part of the Kapodistrian Orphanage – the first public building in modern Greece – and the historic Eynardio – the first neoclassical public building in our country, the work of the duo of architects Stamatis Kleanthis and Eduad Schaubert. Both buildings successively housed the first public library of Greece.