<Book Tower in Ghent>

This so-called fourth tower of Ghent is a project by the renowned Belgian architect Henry van de Velde from 1933. The tower is situated at the highest point in the city, which offered the architect a unique opportunity to gift Ghent a fourth tower. The book tower, with a height of 64 meters (210 feet), reaches towards the sky above Ghent along with its (late) medieval predecessors, completing the city's skyline. It also serves as a signifier for the university. With this building, the city realized its dream of creating a "showcase of towers." Along with the church tower of Saint-Nicolas, the belfry, and St. Bavo's Cathedral, the modernist building of the book tower, nicknamed the "Tower of Wisdom," was added.
The library tower, which is part of the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, houses more than 3 million books. It is a concrete structure built using the then-innovative technique of sliding formwork. The building takes the shape of a Greek cross, symbolizing the connection between time and space, between heaven and earth. It rises to a height of 20 floors, with an additional four hidden below ground. The verticality of the tower is emphasized by the horizontal expression of the interior reading room with long tables. In the northern section, there is a reading room for manuscripts, protected from direct sunlight. In contrast, the illuminated rectangular courtyard offers a pleasant space to enjoy the sunshine.
The tower was solemnly opened in 1942 and recognized as a cultural monument in 1992. Seventy years after its construction, a thorough renovation took place, including the interiors. This ambitious operation was carried out by a team around architects Robbrecht and Daem. The restoration began in 2012 and lasted until 2017 when Ghent University celebrated its 200th anniversary.