Serail of Baakline is the original name of the national library building in the town. It is a magnificent heritage building and a mixture of the European and Eastern architecture. It was built in 1897 during the Ottoman era as a headquarters to the Qaimaqam. After 1930, it transformed into a school, a courthouse, a municipality building and a police station. In 1980 it was transformed into a big prison and in order to prevent the prisoners from escaping, modifications were introduced to the building to reinforce it. Its internal features were changed and the internal stairs were removed. Steel doors were added which reduced the historical value of the building.
In 1987, the national library was inaugurated after the restoration of the building. Its old heritage aspect was restored by Walid Beik Joumblatt who transformed the dark prison rooms into studying and cultural rooms.
Today, the national library is considered an important cultural facility including tens of thousands of valuable books and different printings. It is one of the biggest public libraries in the country.

Library hours from Monday to Friday