INFORMATION PORTAL OF THE MARSHAL'S OFFICE OF THE KUJAWSKO-POMORSKIE Region IN TORUŃ

A modern silhouette, eye-catching façades, eco-friendliness, and interiors straight out of a bibliophile’s dream – the new wing of Toruń’s Copernicus Library is almost ready! The first readers will be welcomed before the year is out. Today, Marshal Piotr Całbecki, accompanied by journalists, toured the investment. The head of the region also announced that another major modernization project is planned for the region’s second most important institution of this kind – the Regional and Municipal Library in Bydgoszcz.

“With this investment, we are leaving our mark on history. The impressively modern architecture, beautifully integrated into the city’s space while preserving existing greenery, abundant natural light, and glass walls that make the space open and inviting – all of this makes the design and execution of the expansion an unequivocal success. On top of that, there’s open access to collections, new forms of promoting reading, a well-equipped media library, and excellent conditions for storing and displaying written heritage – the Copernicus Library is a truly modern library for our times,” said Marshal Piotr Całbecki during the tour, joined by the library’s director Danetta Ryszkowska-Mirowska and Jarosław Wierski, president of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Regional Investments company responsible for the project.

Construction work has already been completed, and inspection procedures began last week. Next week, contracts will be signed for the supply of furniture, and the tender process for IT equipment has been finalized. The library is now preparing a tender for the creation of an augmented reality space – this equipment will be located in the Media Library, which occupies two floors in the Mill of Culture on Kościuszki Street. During today’s meeting with journalists, Marshal Piotr Całbecki also announced plans to modernize the existing “old” library building – design documents should be ready next year, with construction starting in 2027.

The new wing of the Copernicus Library’s main complex spans four floors plus a mezzanine, offering 1,000 square meters of usable space and 8,000 cubic meters of volume. Technologies used – including double glass walls – make the building resistant to both high and low temperatures. In addition to standard library spaces, the new wing will house, among other things, a study storage room where the library will display some of its rarest treasures.

Construction costs totaled 30 million PLN, with an additional 2.5 million PLN allocated for equipment – funds come from the government-managed European Funds for Infrastructure, Climate, Environment 2021-2027 (FEnIKS) program and the region’s budget.

Beata Krzemińska
Spokesperson of the Marshal’s Office

11 August 2025