On Passeig de Sant Joan in the Eixample, behind an unassuming facade, one of the most extraordinary libraries in Spain operates in quiet obscurity. Biblioteca Arús was founded in 1895 by Rossend Arús, a journalist, Freemason, and passionate bibliophile who left his entire collection — and a substantial endowment — to the city of Barcelona on condition that it remain freely accessible to all.

A Masonic Legacy

Arús was a prominent Freemason, and his library reflects his wide-ranging intellectual interests: the collection includes one of the largest archives of Masonic documents in Europe, alongside books on republicanism, workers’ rights, esoteric philosophy, and 19th-century Catalan politics. The library also holds important collections related to the First International, anarchism, and the early labour movement — a remarkable window into the radical intellectual life of 19th-century Barcelona.

The Statue of Liberty Connection

The library’s most surprising possession is a small-scale model of the Statue of Liberty that predates the completion of the full-size statue in New York. It is one of only a handful of such models in existence, and its presence in a Barcelona library is a testament to the transatlantic connections of the liberal and Masonic networks in which Arús moved.

Visiting the Library

The Biblioteca Arús is at Passeig de Sant Joan, 26. It functions as a working research library and is open to the public during library hours, usually Monday through Friday mornings. Guided tours are occasionally available — check the library website for the current programme. Entry is free.