Warsaw opens metro station ‘express’ library to get commuters off their phones

Metroteka aims to encourage people to read more in country that lost majority of libraries in second world war

An express" library has opened in a new metro station in Warsaw, aiming to provide an appealing cultural space to encourage residents and commuters to forgo smartphones in favour of books and, thanks to fresh herbs growing in a vertical garden, a dash of subterranean greenery too.

The stylish Metroteka, which opened this week in the Kondratowicza M2 line metro station in the Polish capital's Targowek district, offers two reading areas for adults and children, as well as a space for public readings and events.