TikTok drives 'bizarre' rush to Prague library's book tower

PRAGUE - Czech capital Prague has long been a tourism hub, thanks to its Baroque architecture and deep cultural history.

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But its latest draw a statue of thousands of books made famous on TikTok - has blindsided officials.The Idiom, a statue by Slovak artist Matej Kren, is a cylindrical tower of 8,000 books with a tear-shaped entrance and mirrors at each end, creating the impression of an endless tunnel.

Prague's Municipal Library installed it in its entrance hall in 1998, where it quietly sat until three years ago, when it suddenly became a social media hit.

"I found it on social media and wanted to take a photo," Thai tourist Pattapol Thongsaard told AFP after queueing for an hour with 100 other tourists, partly in the street, on a chilly evening.