Vienna’s Open Bookshelves, also known as “Offene Bücherschränke” in German, are public book-sharing initiatives found in various neighborhoods and public spaces throughout the city. These bookshelves are essentially small, open-air bookcases or bookstands placed in parks, squares, and other public areas. The concept behind Vienna’s Open Bookshelves is to promote a culture of sharing and reading within the community.
While the first bookshelf has been installed since February of 2010 at Westbahnstraße corner Zieglergasse, we have forgotten to feature them. The second photo of this post was taken some years back – during my daughter’s violin tuning which was probably in 2015.
Here’s how they typically work:
- Free Book Exchange: The bookshelves are stocked with a variety of books, including novels, non-fiction, children’s books, and more. Anyone is welcome to take a book from the shelf to read and enjoy, completely free of charge.
- Donation-Based: While taking a book is encouraged and free, individuals are also encouraged to donate books they no longer need or want. This keeps the bookshelves stocked with a rotating selection of reading material.
- Community Involvement: Vienna’s Open Bookshelves are often maintained and organized by local residents or community organizations. They take responsibility for restocking the shelves and ensuring that the books are in good condition.
- Promotion of Literacy and Community: These bookshelves promote literacy, a sense of community, and the idea of sharing resources. They provide easy access to reading material for people of all ages and backgrounds, making literature more accessible to everyone.
We take photos of them when we encounter them, but haven’t really taken or shared books yet. (Yes, we forget.)
This feature is just one of the many initiatives the city does to promote education – which is often considered one of the best in the world. Here are some key aspects of Vienna’s education system:
- Compulsory Education: In Austria, education is compulsory for children from the age of six to fifteen. This includes primary and lower secondary education.
- Public Education: Vienna’s public education system is funded by the government and is free of charge for students. This includes both primary and secondary education. Public schools in Vienna offer a high standard of education and are known for their quality.
- Private Schools: In addition to public schools, Vienna also has a number of private schools, including international schools, which offer different curricula, such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. These schools often charge tuition fees.
- Primary Education: Primary education in Vienna typically lasts for four years, from ages six to ten. The curriculum includes subjects like mathematics, German, foreign languages (often English), science, and the arts. Kids are put into the nearest school where they live, for convenience of going to and from school back home.
- Secondary Education: After primary school, students move on to lower secondary education (Neue Mittelschule) for four more years. Here, they receive a more comprehensive education in subjects like mathematics, languages, and sciences.
- Higher Education: Vienna is home to several prestigious universities, including the University of Vienna, which is one of the oldest universities in the German-speaking world. These universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs across various disciplines.
- Multilingual Education: Vienna’s education system often promotes multilingualism. German is the primary language of instruction, but students typically learn other languages as well, such as English or another foreign language.
- Inclusive Education: Vienna’s education system places a strong emphasis on inclusive education, ensuring that students with disabilities or special needs have access to quality education alongside their peers.
- International and Cultural Diversity: Vienna’s education system benefits from the city’s rich cultural diversity. It often includes programs and initiatives aimed at promoting intercultural understanding and tolerance among students.
- Educational Support: Vienna offers various forms of educational support, free museums, including tutoring, counseling, and extracurricular activities, to help students achieve their full potential.
Overall, Vienna’s education system is highly regarded for its quality, accessibility, and commitment to providing a well-rounded education for its residents. It is designed to prepare students for future academic and professional success while fostering a strong sense of community and cultural appreciation.
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I love this initiative that Vienna has started! We have a few “book libraries” in my neighborhood here in Canada too. Everyone is encouraged to “take a book/leave a book”.
It’s always a good thing for a community to bond with reading/books!
How cool are those book shelves? It is a great way to get people to read books.
I love this! We have something similar around here where we put books in and take them out if we find one we want. I love it.
This is such a fun and sweet idea! I have heard of similar but this is so cool!
this is such a great idea. i wish they had this here in the us
I adore open bookshelves and the whole idea behind it. It’s great how we can share novels we love or want to share with one another like this.
That is so cool! We also have what they call mini libraries here where you can grab a book and return it when you’re done. You can also donate one of yours.
This book shelf is absolutely adorable. I think it would be a great idea to introduce people to books in this way.
It’s heartwarming to see how literature can be made so accessible to everyone, thanks to initiatives like these.
Such a great initiative by the city to promote education among the citizens. I am loving this open bookshelf concept 🙂
definitely something i will end up spending a lot of time with when in Vienna
These are cool little libraries. We have a few that some of the neighborhoods build for the kids to exchange books for free.
This is pretty cool! I love seeing such a wonderful and successful project.