In a September edition of Beautiful Bookstores we asked the question, “Is Polare Maastricht the most beautiful bookstore in the world?” While many readers agreed that Polare Maastricht is indeed a gorgeous building, one commenter suggested that another Dutch church-turned-bookstore has it beat. Well, we took a look at that bookstore, Waanders In de Broeren, and have to agree with Sabine that it has seamlessly integrated the original architecture of a Catholic church with that of a modern bookshop.
As you can see, Waanders is much more than a bookstore. It’s also a shop for art and music lovers, a concert hall and a cultural exhibition arena. It even has it’s own brasserie!
Sounds like we’ve got a second bookstore to add to our dream Dutch vacation!
What do you think? How does Waanders stack up against the rest of the beautiful bookstore competition?
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I you have not visited the bookstore at Stockmann, Helsinki (its name is Akateeminen Kirjakauppa in Finnish and Akademiska Bokhandeln in Swedish), you have to get there. I would say that it is the world’s most beautiful bookstore.
Hi Danne,
Thanks for the recommendation! We may not have a chance to visit Stockmann anytime soon, but you just may see a profile on this beautifully-lit bookstore on the Endpaper Blog one day soon!
Best,
The Paperblanks® Team
I’ve been to Waanders Bookstore a few weeks ago, and it is indeed a beautiful bookstore. A church is, apparently, the kind of building that lends itself well to a bookstore conversion.
Still, my favorite church-bookstore is Dominicanen in Maastricht. (see: http://www.vvvmaastricht.nl/boekhandel-dominicanen.html)
Hi Martin,
How lucky you are to have visited two of our contenders for most beautiful bookstore: The Polare Maastricht is definitely on our bucket list!
Cheers,
The Paperblanks® Team