Hadrian’s Library
Hadrian’s Library, the Roman library built in 132 AD, with the imposing remains of the north wing next to Monastiraki.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The library was built on the initiative of the Emperor Hadrian, a lover of the arts and letters with clear views on architecture. The traveller Pausanias describes the building in detail, without mentioning that it was a library. It was a monumental rectangular structure with a Corinthian portico in keeping with Roman architecture, and an inner courtyard with one hundred columns of Phrygian marble, a cistern and an elongated water basin.
On the eastern side were the main functional spaces: the book store, the reading rooms and the lecture halls. Readers of the time used papyrus rolls, parchments and wax tablets, which served for the temporary copying of texts. The library was inaugurated around 132 AD, when Hadrian visited Athens for the third time.
The emperor led an extensive building programme in the city, and the Athenians honoured him as a god. Today only the north wing of the library survives; the south wing has been completely destroyed.
Highlights
- Imposing façade with a Corinthian portico
- Remains of the north wing
- Inner courtyard with a water cistern
- Work of Emperor Hadrian in Athens
Permanent exhibition
- Βιβλιοθήκη του Αδριανού – Tour of the remains of the Roman library and its inner courtyard.
- Operated by
- Εφορεία Αρχαιοτήτων Πόλης Αθηνών
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €10 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €5 |
Free admission: 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September, 28 October, and the first and third Sunday of each month from 1 November to 31 March.
Tickets are also available from the online shop tickets.hh.gr.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The site is described as accessible.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Μοναστηράκι · 2-min walk
Metro Lines 1 and 3, station “Monastiraki” (about 2 minutes on foot); buses 025 and 026, stop “Monastiraki”.
By car, the site is about 9 minutes from Syntagma Square.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
On site there is a WC.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
