Built in 1935 by the famous Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, the library is an international architectural monument. It was built of concrete and glass using architectural, design, engineering and technology solutions that were ahead of its time. The Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office expressed his joy at the fact that one of this Finnish architect’s greatest works is in Russia. Mr Ivanov particularly emphasised that the library’s interiors have retained their original appearance, but that the building has now been outfitted with the most up-to-date equipment.
The library’s opening ceremony was attended by former President of Finland Tarja Halonen, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Northwestern Federal District Vladimir Bulavin, and Leningrad Region Governor Alexander Drozdenko.
