BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL DE EL SALVADOR (BINAES)

The brand-new Biblioteca Nacional de El Salvador was inaugurated with great fanfare by President Nayib Bukele in November 2023, after more than a year's work and renovations (financed in large part by China, which donated $54 million to the project and whose flag flies alongside that of El Salvador in front of the library). The brand-new building is impressive, and stands opposite the Metropolitan Cathedral, on Plaça Gerardo Barrios. Its seven floors include a large library/toy library for children, themed sections where teenagers can find the heroes of their favorite sagas (Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones...), over 360,000 general and specialized books, comfortable air-conditioned reading rooms, offices with top-of-the-range computers, a floor of consoles and video games, art books, fast wi-fi connection, an auditorium, art exhibitions, terraces (with unbeatable views of the city and surrounding monuments, including the Palacio Nacional and the Cathedral) and, at the bottom, a literary café; at the top, an Italian bistro. Admission is free (you'll need to leave your backpacks in the lockers at the bottom of the stairs, opposite the café). In short, the library makes you want to read and be a student again. It is also a symbol of the country's commitment to modernity.