The construction has begun on the brand new state-of-the-art national library, the funds for this project were given by China, one of El Salvador’s many allies, in the form of a non-refundable donation, the total amount of this donation is 500 million dollars, however, the total amount allocated to the construction of the library, will be 54 million dollars and its design was inspired by the waves of the famous Salvadoran beaches and the many mountains and volcanoes in El Salvador, such as famous Playa del Tunco beach or the Volcano of San Salvador.
This library was conceived as part of President’s Bukele commitment to culture and education, therefore, this library will have, a theater, areas dedicated to scientific research, a special area for the national archives, restaurants, recreational areas as well as free internet and computers available for the public. This library will stay open 24 hours a day 365 days a week, it will also be located near other iconic buildings, such as the national palace and the capital’s cathedral in what is called the “historic center of El Salvador’”
This library was conceived as part of President’s Bukele commitment to culture and education, therefore, this library will have, a theater, areas dedicated to scientific research, a special area for the national archives, restaurants, recreational areas as well as free internet and computers available for the public. This library will stay open 24 hours a day 365 days a week, it will also be located near other iconic buildings, such as the national palace and the capital’s cathedral in what is called the “historic center of El Salvador’”
Some people have argued that destroying the current national library to build this brand new state of the art library would be a mistake because of the implication of destroying one of the country’s famous heritage sites, however, the real national library was destroyed in a fire back in 1870, and what we have now is a building from 1950, where the national archives as well as thousands of book where allocated, but it is not a proper library, and the building itself is badly damaged.
“Why this location?
- To continue revitalizing the Historic Center (which we started when I was Mayor).
- Because the current building is from 1950 and is damaged.” – President Bukele
One of the main goals of president Bukele seems to be the revitalizing the historic center of the capital, which includes a National Theater a historic church, and a beautiful park, and in the future this spectacular ultra-modern library, the area is surrounded by modern coffee shops, great restaurants, and a myriad of businesses, currently, the historical center is a great place to be, where tourist and residents alike can spend a nice day walking and taking in the scenery.
If you are visiting El Salvador and want to experience the historic center without getting lost, and with the help of professional English-speaking tourist guides, let us know by sending us an e-mail or contacting us through our social media and we will set you up with trust wordy tourist guides.
China has become one of El Salvador’s many economic allies, in recent years and it has shown its goodwill by investing heavily in the country, and by bringing forth projects of national interest, such as this library as well as in the construction of a brand-new state of the art’s national stadium, a dock and a new water treatment plant for the San Salvador area.
On February third of this year president Nayib Bukele and the ambassador of China, Ou Jianhong inaugurated the construction of the national library, the event took place in the historic district where the national library will be located. President Bukele highlighted that the construction of this major project was achieved thanks to a donation made by the Government of China, as a result of the state visit made by the Salvadoran president to the Asian country in 2019.