Diana Bar is a beach library and gallery in Póvoa de Varzim

Póvoa de Varzim

Póvoa de Varzim is a Portuguese city in the Norte Region and sub-region of Greater Porto, with a 2011 estimated population of 63,364. According to the 2001 census, there were 63,470 inhabitants with 42,396 living in the city proper. The urban area expanded, southwards, to Vila do Conde, and there...

, Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

. before being a public library it was a historic café with the same name. It is located in the south end of the city's main waterfront avenue, the Banhos Avenue (Avenida dos Banhos, literally Baths Avenue).

It includes bar and Internet services, and is often used for exhibits and book presentations. The library is very popular, because of its beach view and large windows, in the summer it often gets over 800 visitors per day. The arts TV show, Câmara Clara, of the public broadcaster RTP

Rádio e Televisão de Portugal

Rádio e Televisão de Portugal, S.A.,commonly known as RTP, is Portugal's public service broadcasting organization. It operates four terrestrial television channels and three national radio channels, as well as several satellite and cable offerings....

, was broadcast from there during the 2006 Correntes d'Escritas International literary meeting in Póvoa de Varzim.

A rose colored building, Diana Bar is surrounded by the beach except in the entrance by the Banhos Avenue. It has an egg-shape architectural conception, with large windows and a wide interior. It has an internal balcony around the building that functions as the second floor. Diana Bar's floor mimics the Portuguese pavement

Portuguese pavement

Portuguese pavement , is a traditional style pavement used for many pedestrian areas in Portugal, it can also be found in Olivenza , and throughout the old Portuguese colonies such as Brazil and Macau...

, for exteriors, and is a drawing of concentric circles.

History

Diana Bar was built over the beach between 1938/1939, and due to its select nature, it soon became a writers meeting place and for intellectuals coming from various cities. It was where José Régio

José Régio

José Maria dos Reis Pereira, better known by the pen name José Regio was a Portuguese writer which lived most of his life in Portalegre...

 wrote some of his works, and still today, the table and chair that he often choose are exhibited with his portray. Diana Bar was where José Régio

José Régio

José Maria dos Reis Pereira, better known by the pen name José Regio was a Portuguese writer which lived most of his life in Portalegre...

 and Agustina Bessa-Luis

Agustina Bessa-Luís

Agustina Bessa-Luís, GOSE is a Portuguese writer.From 1986 and 1987, she was Director of the daily O Primeiro de Janeiro . From 1990 to 1993, she was director of the Teatro Nacional D...

 often met, when she was living in Esposende and he in Vila do Conde. Agustina lived in Póvoa de Varzim earlier in her life, a town that she described as a "magical place in the beginning of my adolescence".

With the death of its founder, the building entered into decay for several years. In November 2001, Póvoa de Varzim City hall bought and restored the building. In the summer of 2002, Diana Bar was ready to reopened as a beach library for the general public, first only in the summer months, but given its popularity it soon started to offer its services all year around.