Houses a Collection of 250,000 Books
Includes a Toy Library
"Larchiveum" Blends Library, Museum, and Archive Functions
Hwaseong Dongtan Central Library, the largest public library in the Hwaseong area of Gyeonggi-do, officially opened on November 3.
Located at 120 Dongtan Jungang-ro in Hwaseong, the library is built with one basement level and four above-ground floors, covering a total floor area of 10,625 square meters. It houses a collection of 250,000 books and features a variety of specialized facilities and functions on each floor.
An experiential storytelling space inside Hwaseong Dongtan Central Library in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, which opened on the 3rd. Provided by Hwaseong City
The first basement level is equipped with a parking lot, preservation stacks, and essential management facilities such as mechanical and electrical rooms. The preservation stacks are used for systematic management of materials that require long-term storage, including rare books, policy documents, and out-of-print publications.
The first floor, spanning 2,752 square meters, serves as a general collection area, housing adult and youth books, including policy and legal deposit materials. It also offers an immersive reading environment utilizing advanced technologies such as real-time streaming services and digital books with augmented reality. This floor provides around 130 dedicated reading seats, an automated book return system, a self-service reservation and lending machine, and self-printing facilities.
The second floor is designed for children and infants. In addition to children's books, it features an experiential storytelling room using five-sided 3D and touch sensors, a media art zone, an interactive wall, and "Finger Story" (AR books), providing sensory and experience-based content to spark children's curiosity. There is also a toy library that lends out more than 1,150 types of toys tailored to different developmental stages of infants and toddlers.
On the same floor, the 'Forest of Knowledge' complex cultural space utilizes a media wall for movie screenings, lectures, and performances, and a cafe is also available.
The third floor is centered around the library's core thematic space, the "Larchiveum," which integrates and preserves Hwaseong City's policy documents, municipal records, and local cultural content. The Larchiveum is a hybrid archive combining the functions of a library, archive, and museum, and will host three exhibitions and policy-linked special exhibitions annually.
The library also includes citizen participation spaces such as cultural classrooms, maker studios, and multipurpose rooms, where a variety of programs are held, including "Make Books," reading clubs, and drawing therapy sessions.
To mark the opening, the city is hosting a media art exhibition themed around the book "Van Gogh Life Lessons" and has curated monthly themed book selections such as "Meeting the Library."
'Forest of Knowledge,' a complex cultural space prepared for movie screenings, lectures, performances, and more using a media wall inside Hwaseong Dongtan Central Library. Provided by Hwaseong City
As part of the opening events, the city is running citizen engagement reading campaigns, including a "Blind Book" event, increasing the book borrowing limit from 7 to 10, issuing limited-edition commemorative membership cards, and selecting "100-Day Reading Champions."
The library is open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and until 6 p.m. on weekends. To better serve working families and family visitors, the children's and infants' reading rooms will also remain open in the evenings.
Jung Myunggeun, Mayor of Hwaseong, stated, "We will do our utmost to ensure that Hwaseong Dongtan Central Library becomes more than just a place to read books, but an open space for citizens where learning, communication, and culture truly come alive."
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