Open for only a little over a week, De Krook has already established its name all over Ghent (and beyond!). During the opening weekend, more than 20.000 people – young and old – came to experience the new city library. We all had our own reasons to visit De Krook: to admire the architecture, discover cutting-edge technology from imec, indulge in groundbreaking research from UGent, or to participate in the numerous activities. The curiosity was almost tangible!

Friday 10th of March – the moment we all waited for! At 2 pm the press got treated to a sneak preview of the De Krook, lead by architects Coussée & Goris. A few hours later, the general audience queued to enter the brand-new building to talk, toast and test! All the different stands were crowded in no time and the reactions were fantastic! At 7 pm the old library had its “Boeken Toe”-kickoff; a final event before definitely closing the books. 5 rooms filled with poetry, music and a lot of beautiful people. Around midnight nobody was not dancing. The party continued till the early morning hours. A farewell with a bang!

Saturday and Sunday, De Krook opened its doors again. With some of us having a hangover, the new reading cafe was a good first stop to have delicious carrot-ginger soup. New workshops, tours and lots of activities for the kids in the weekend! If you wanted to take it easy, you could listen to Urgent.fm (permanent resident of De Krook) with several live performances. If you preferred the written word, perfect! During the whole weekend there were readings of Jeroen Olyslaegers, Maud Vanhauwaert & Wouter Deprez, to name a few. Sunday ended with a beautiful, relaxing performance of ‘Jazz Rules’, a perfect ending for a perfect weekend.

Kicking yourself for missing the opening weekend? Made it, but hungry for more? Make sure to follow De Krook on Facebook for regular updates on what they have in store for you in the coming weeks:  https://www.facebook.com/bibliotheekdekrook

In Ghent, a brand-new, state-of-the art, spick-and-span library will be opened in the weekend of March 10 to 12. However, De Krook isn’t just another library, it’s the library for the future. No floating books, nor the ability to teleport inside the building, but real technological advancements will distinguish De Krook. You will be able to experience some new features such as a mobile app to assign ratings to an item or the possibility to get suggestions based on your reading habits (scoop!).

It’s not only a library either, as other organisations will also house in the building. Such as the prestigious research institute IMEC and a part of Ghent University. Radio station Urgent.fm will also be moving in and will be organising live concerts during the opening weekend! And what better way to get to know the new tenants than with a speed dating session? You can even get an exclusive insight in what UGent will be up to in De Krook. But make sure to sign up for a lab tour!

You are very welcome to explore everything and experience more behind-the-scenes activities from 10 to 12 March. Where, you ask? De Krook has got its very own new square at the front entrance, named after civil rights activist Miriam Makeba.

See you there!

(March 10 to 12, Makebaplein 1)

Make sure to check out www.dekrook.be to keep track of the latest news and updates. Or follow them on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.