Book Capella, "a newly built, gothic-inspired library in central St. Petersburg, is complete with all the expected luxuries of an ancient athenaeum--and a price tag to match," the Guardian reported. Visitors must pay an admission fee of 7,121 rubles (about $125) "for a four-hour reading session--a markedly different experience to the free access readers can enjoy in Russia's public libraries." The library's collection of approximately 5,000 titles is entirely published by Alfaret, owner and initiator of the project.
"One hundred pounds per visit is certainly not a low price, but it is less expensive than tickets to the opera or ballet," said Irina Khoteshova, the project director. "People aren't really surprised by the price itself. They are surprised that it's the price for a visit to a library.... Book Capella is not a library in the traditional sense, and it is not a museum, although elements of the museum are presented. It's also not the bookstore, although you can buy our books here. [It] is a new way for people to communicate with rare books."
She added that the library is primarily used by book collectors, historians and scientists--as well as businesspeople who want to have meetings in a quiet space that also serves as an exotic change from their usual haunts.
Book Cappella does offer some frequent user discounts: a "Book Apostle" yearly card costs 230,000 rubles (about $4,020), while the "Preacher's Book Apostle" lifetime subscription, can run to five million rubles (about $87,375).