The Chernihiv Public Library was opened on March 15 (28) 1877 on the basis of the Statute approved by the Minister of Internal Affairs on February 9 of the same year.
The library was founded by the efforts of a group of democratically minded intellectuals of the city of Chernihiv. Among its sponsors are the names known far beyond the city, namely, Tyshynsky, Sophia and Alexander Rusovy, Chervinsky, Borsuk, Karpinsky, Konstantinovich, Miloradovich, Varzar, Rashevsky and others.
By 1877 this building served a different purpose. It previously housed the Chernihiv branch of the Noble and Peasant Land Bank. The design of the building was created by the talented master Von-Gauguin and it was brought to life by the famous architect Afanasiev in 1910-1913. The architectural monument has two floors, a tall three-tiered tower decorated with a tent top. The stone building is modern and it is reminiscent of a European castle. The building is different because of a combination of colorful majolica, the basement and granite slabs. The hexagonal windows and the triangular balcony on the second floor are unusual. During the erection the Ukrainian artistic traditions were used. Today the building of the former land bank is one of Chernihiv's most beautiful monuments where you can see not only the original architecture but also the rare book collections.
