CITY LIBRARY "KARLO BIJELICKI" - Sombor

On the demand of 129 signatories, among them were 30 Serbs, was founded the Hungarian reading room in 1844. For it’s needs in 1883. was built the building in classical style with admixture of eclecticism. Today in it’s rooms is the headquarters of the City Library and the children section of the library. The busts of Sombor’s outstanding persons Laza Kostić, Veljko Petrović and Herceg Janoš are placed in front of the building.

The building of the City Library (lending section) was built in 1877. in the style of neo – renaissance for the needs of the first Sombor saving-bank founded in 1868. Karlo Bijelicki, the main accountant of the first Sombor saving-bank made the base of the city library in the City Hall on the First General Assembly. On it’s book-shelves there is the real fortune (more than 300.000. copies) with the most important the Collection of 309 rare books, with the oldest Anthology of Božidar Vuković, printed in Venice in 1538. It is important to post valuable collection of Homeland section with more than 4000 books and copies of many magazines and newspapers which were published in Sombor.

In 1994. library became the register library for the West- Bačka area, and it consists of the section for the adults, scientific section with reading-room, referral internet centre, internet café with the reading-room for the daily publications, children section with the reading-room, bookbindery, book-shop, digital gallery.