Read. Think. Organize.

When I came back from California in 2014, I just thought — there has to be a space in this city where people can come and read, think, and organise. Not a bookshop, not a café, just a real community space with real books about real things that matter. So I did what any sensible person would do. I sold my apartment and filled a room with 16,000 books. Feminist theory, anti-racism, psychology, art, children's books, travel — everything. And I called it Közkincs Könyvtár. Public Treasure Library. Because that's what it is. It belongs to everyone.

And honestly, I never imagined it would become what it has. People come here for book clubs, film clubs, workshops. Women's organisations meet here. Queer communities meet here. Students write their theses here. Someone once told me they found their best friend here. And you know, even if you don't read a single book, I think just being surrounded by 16,000 voices — people who wanted to make a difference, who wrote something down because they believed it mattered — that does something to you. My motto has always been read, think, organise. And every single day, someone walks through that door and does exactly that.

Antonia Burrows, Founder