Sir Robert Ho Tung Library

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Sir Robert Ho Tung Library (Portuguese: Biblioteca Sir Robert Ho Tung; traditional Chinese: 何東圖書館) is a public library in Macau, China. It is located in St. Augustine’s Square in the Historic Centre of Macau, a UNESCO world heritage site. The library is housed in a mansion that has good historical, cultural and architectural value.

[edit] History

The building was constructed before 1894 and was owned by Dona Carolina Cunha. Later the mansion was purchased by Hong Kong businessman Sir Robert Ho Tung in 1918 as a retreat and he lived there between 1941 and 1945. He passed away in 1955 and the building was presented to the Government for conversion to a public library in accordance with his will.

Sir Robert Ho Tung Library was officially opened in 1958 to the general public. In 2005, a new building was constructed near the back garden of the mansion, making the library the biggest public library in Macau.