Publisher's Synopsis
The Viipuri Library has international reputation as a seminal early work of Alvar Aalto, and is a key example of modern architecture. Simultaneously, the meanings associated with it stem from its geopolitical location: the library was originally opened to the Finnish city of Viipuri, but at the end of the World War II the city was annexed to the Soviet Union. Since 1991 the building has been located in modern day Russia. The title of the book reflects the widely spread misunderstanding that the Library has been lost at war, and future generations can learn about it only from drawings and images. This work unfolds its 'life? in four thematic chapters, each presenting a totally different perspective to what this building is all about: First, the context of the city of Viipuri, second, the Library as a work of Aalto, third, the time period of the Second World War and the Soviet Union, and last, the international restoration project.
