00:00Warsaw has found an unusual way of getting commuters off their phones
00:05and bringing them back into the present.
00:07Metroteca, a library in a metro station.
00:11Underground libraries already exist in Prague, New York, Madrid and Beijing.
00:15Now, Warsaw has joined their ranks.
00:18A joint initiative by the Targavec Public Library,
00:21the Targavec District Council and the Warsaw Metro Authority,
00:25Metroteca first opened its doors in early September.
00:28The library, which is located inside Warsaw's Kondratowice metro station,
00:49hopes to attract some of the 400,000 passengers who pass through the station each month.
00:54Metroteca combines high-tech and nature.
00:56Visitors can borrow and return books at the self-service terminal
01:00and use the laptops available, all while enjoying the plants in the vertical garden.
01:04This all smells like basilia, oregano,
01:10a pretty beautiful smell.
01:12With its bright, welcoming atmosphere,
01:14commuters often stop to peer through the windows into this futuristic space.
01:18But inside, Metroteca is more than just a library.
01:20It's a cultural and educational hub,
01:22a place where people can meet in person and connect.
01:26Since its opening, Metroteca has become something of a tour.
01:28Since its opening, Metroteca has become something of a tour.
01:30With its bright, welcoming atmosphere,
01:32with its bright, welcoming atmosphere,
01:34commuters often stop to peer through the windows into this futuristic space.
01:36But inside, Metroteca is more than just a library.
01:38It's a cultural and educational hub.
01:40It's a cultural and educational hub,
01:41a place where people can meet in person and connect.
01:53Since its opening,
01:54Metroteca has become something of a tourist attraction in Warsaw.
01:58And even library directors from across the country come looking for inspiration.
02:04The library has over 16,000 books and a team of dedicated volunteers,
02:20including 74-year-old Małgosia,
02:23who has only missed two shifts since the library first opened.
02:27Visitors are always welcome.
02:44Even those who just want to admire the space or take photos of its striking design.
02:49Some think they are in the inside of a lot of fish,
02:52some think they are in the forest,
02:53some think they are in the woods,
02:54and others think they are in the books in the inside.
02:56This is the architecture that leads us to think about the worlds
02:59that we can bring in through books.
03:02Metroteca also has a printing service, coffee,
03:06and quiet corners where commuters can slow down
03:09and even disconnect from the fast pace of city life.
03:12Sitting in front of the vertical herb garden,
03:15commuters, book lovers and curious minds of all ages
03:19can find a moment of calm.
03:21At the middle of the world...
03:27...he star by-season...
03:29...for-ortun-esque professions
03:31...and-and- away we can start from learning
03:34a number of happiness in the place of calm.
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