I love adding a bookish touch to my holiday by visiting nice/unusual bookstores. And during my recent trip to Oslo I discovered an amazing place – Eldorado! It is situated in the city center and it is a must visit if you’re in Oslo 🙂
The bookstore itself opened in 2003, and its motto “Culture since 1891” builds upon its cultural background.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bk9bvIhh4_g/?taken-by=georgi.nenciu
Eldorado has a very interesting history. Initially, the building at Torggata 9 had several business offices and an internal courtyard used or shows and concerts. From 1903 to 1911, the inner building was used by a theatre which performed 8 seasons before filing for bankruptcy.
Starting with August 1911, a cinema opened in the same building, and it wasn’t until 1929 that the movie theater was named “Eldorado”. Eldorado was actually the first cinema in Norway with a sound system!
Quite recently, in 2012, the cinema closed and was then transformed into a bookstore, converting many cinemas into open spaces for bookshelves. And what a bookstore!
What I liked most is that it has several areas to chill out, perfect for taking a break, reading a book or just admiring the store. It also had a wide variety of books, including English books and children’s books.
A nice detail I observed is that they arranged a corner with books written by Norwegian authors and translated into English. This is something I don’t see often, neither in Romania nor aboard, and I find it very useful for travellers who would like to get immersed in the bookish culture of the country they’re visiting.
These being said, I heartily recommend visiting Eldorado during your holiday in Olso! And if you’re living in Oslo, enjoy it as much as possible, you’re a very lucky reader 🙂
I’d love to hear what other interesting bookstores you’ve discovered around the world!
If you enjoy reading about beautiful bookstores, check out also bookstores from Amsterdam, Cambridge, and Bucharest.
‘Till next time … happy travelling and discovering awesome bookstores!
Georgiana
PS: all pictures were taken by myself.
Readers' High Tea 