Literary escapes: Exploring book towns around the world
Imagine yourself walking through a charming street dotted with historic structures that are filled to the brim with books from every era and genre. Welcome to the fascinating world of book towns, where history and literature dwell harmoniously. These charming communities have converted into havens for readers, luring tourists and book lovers from all over the world. Here are five such amazing literary-themed locations.
Lilleputthammer, Norway
Lilleputthammer in Norway is a family adventure park designed on a miniature scale. Its main attraction is a scaled-down replica of Lillehammer's Storgata main street, meticulously recreating the ambiance of the 1930s with authentic house designs. Inside, you'll find the Children's City of Books, consisting of six distinct houses. These houses have novels categorized by age group, providing an enriching literary experience for visitors.
Bredevoort, Netherlands
In the 1990s, Bredevoort started to establish its book town to revitalize the central portions of this Dutch village's community. Today, book dealers run stores, the majority of which sell used and rare books. A monthly book fair brings more vendors to Bredevoort's central square every third Saturday of the month. Larger market events take place during the spring and summer.
Paju, South Korea
In Paju Book City, the production, publication, sale, and promotion of Korean books is the sole focus of every building and individual. Currently, Paju is home to about 250 publishers and employs 10,000 people. Its peaceful, tree-lined, largely traffic-free streets and wooden benches, are what make it stand out. There is also a miniature railway that runs around the children's bookshop area.
Montereggio, Italy
In the Tuscan town of Montereggio, on a hilltop, bookselling has a long history. Interestingly, the very first bookstore here opened its doors in the late 1490s. Since then, traversed the fairs and markets of central and northern Italy, bearing vast wicker baskets brimming with books as wandering booksellers. Even today, you can find book fairs and literary events in this heritage town.
Obidos, Portugal
Located north of Lisbon, Obidos is a charming, old hilltop village with a wall surrounding a small, medieval center with cobblestone lanes and traditional homes. It didn't create new bookshops, unlike other boomtowns. Instead, many shops merely expanded their offerings to include books. Therefore, the neighborhood's art galleries sell books about art and the organic market has shelves of cookbooks behind its produce.
