The Ministry of Culture confirms that it will move the Tarragona library to the old Tabacalera building.

TarragonaThe announcement had already been made, but it wasn't yet entirely official, and negotiations to relocate the State Public Library to Tarragona's former tobacco factory had dragged on for so long that no one dared to commit to it. Finally, the confirmation was made public this Monday: the Tarragona City Council, the Catalan Government, and the Ministry of Culture have agreed to move the facility, currently located in the city center, to the main building of the former tobacco factory. The new library will have three floors and occupy 10,000 square meters, as Tarragona Mayor Rubén Viñuales pointed out: "This figure represents a fourfold increase in the space of the current library (1,800 m²), which will make it the second largest public library in Catalonia, after the future one." The investment to carry out this major project is estimated at 20 million euros and will be financed by the Spanish government. Once filled with books and open, the Ministry of Culture will transfer it to the Generalitat (Catalan government). The Tarragona City Council, for its part, must transfer the land to the State so that construction can begin, after the project has been drawn up.

A major transformation

The future library is great news for Tarragona because the current one had become too small. Furthermore, its location will help accelerate one of the city's most ambitious transformation projects in recent years. The former Tabacalera (tobacco factory) is a large complex of warehouses located on the Francolí riverbed, and the City Council has long been seeking projects and investment to revitalize it. Of all the facilities planned for the site, the library was the most important. The relocation of the Provincial Council's Music Conservatory, the new newsrooms of TVE and Tac12, and the headquarters of the Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology (ICAC) are also planned, as well as the opening of a training center for the University School of Health and Sport (EUS). The relocation of the large library will give new impetus to all these projects and could encourage other private entities to also establish themselves in the Tabacalera, where warehouses are still available. "The Provincial Library joins as a key element within this new cultural hub that Tabacalera represents, ensuring quality facilities and a cultural offering that is close to the city," said Sandra Ramos, Councilor for Culture and Festivals of Tarragona.