Librije, St. Walburga’s Church, Zutphen, Netherlands

In the middle of the 16th century the churchwardens Conrad Slindewater and Herman Berner planned a large reading room abutting the ambulatory. From the records of Slindewater, well-preserved in the Zutphen town archives, we learn that the Librije was intended to be a stronghold against the increasing popularity of the Reformation. Slindewater wrote that, if people read the right books, they would be cured of their errors and become true believers of the Christian faith. To him this meant the Roman Catholic faith.
After lengthy preparations the actual building of the Librije started in 1561. It took three years to complete. The design was based on the existing reading rooms in the medieval convents of Zutphen, the Broederenkerk ("Brothers Church", i.e. Black Friars Church) and the Galilea monastry. The shape of the building was adapted to fit in with the adjoining church.