The National Library of Romania ( ro, Biblioteca Națională a României) is the
national library
A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, or significant wo ...
of
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
. It is intended to be the repository of all that is published in
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
. The construction cost was €110 million.
History
The roots of the library can be found in
Saint Sava College Saint Sava College was one of the earliest academic institutions in Wallachia, Romania. It was the predecessor to both Saint Sava National College and the University of Bucharest.
History
It was the continuator of the Princely Academy from Buchare ...
library. Saint Sava College library was opened in 1859 when 1000 French volumes were archived. After the
1859 Union, the library was officially made the national library (Biblioteca Națională, later Biblioteca Centrală - National and Central library, respectively). In 1864 the library was renamed Central Library of the State (Biblioteca Centrală a Statului).
In 1901 all the collections were ceded to the
Romanian Academy
The Romanian Academy ( ro, Academia Română ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life.
According to its byl ...
Library. As a result, from 1901 to 1955, the Romanian Academy Library was the national library. In 1955, the State Central library was organised, having the attributes of a national library. In 1989, after the collapse of the communist regime, the State Central Library was once again renamed to Biblioteca Națională a României.
New building
In 1986, a new, larger location began to be built for the library, between
Piața Unirii
Piața Unirii (; ''Unification Square'' or ''Union Square'' in English) is one of the largest squares in central Bucharest, Romania, located in the center of the city where Sectors 1, 2, 3, and 4 meet. Part of the Civic Centre, it is bisected by U ...
and Nerva Traian. The initial lead architect was
Cezar Lăzărescu, who died in 1986 before the building was finished. Shortly after 1989, although some parts of the building were finished or in an advanced state, due to lack of funding, the construction had stalled for several years. In 2009 the project was reassigned to the
Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to:
*Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania)
* Ministry of Culture (Algeria)
*Ministry of Culture (Argentina)
*Minister for the Arts (Australia)
*Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)
* Ministry of ...
, which completed the construction in 2011 and set the official opening date to take place in 2012.
Mission
The National Library is a cultural institution under the supervision of the
Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to:
*Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania)
* Ministry of Culture (Algeria)
*Ministry of Culture (Argentina)
*Minister for the Arts (Australia)
*Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)
* Ministry of ...
. Its goal is to administer the national patrimony of publications, by purchasing and preserving documents and making them available to the public for research or personal study.
Collections
It has several special collections, including:
* Bibliofilie (Rare books);
* Manuscrise (Manuscripts);
** Including the
Codex Aureus of Lorsch
The ''Codex Aureus of Lorsch'' or Lorsch Gospels (Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Pal. lat. 50, and Alba Iulia, Biblioteca Documenta Batthyaneum, s.n.) is an illuminated Gospel Book written in Latin between 778 and 820, roughly coinciding with t ...
kept at Batthyani Library in Alba Iulia;
* Arhiva Istorică (Historical Archive);
* Periodice românești vechi (Old Romanian newspapers);
* Stampe (Prints);
* Fotografii (Photographs);
* Cartografie (Maps);
* Audio-Vizua (Audio-visual).
Statistics
* 13,000,000 items;
* 162
incunabula;
* 20,054 Romanian and foreign old books;
* 10,964 Romanian and foreign rare books;
* 29,350 audiovisual documents;
* 36,759 old and modern manuscripts;
* 47,745 serials;
* Over 800 prints;
* 70,000 original photographs.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...
Libraries in Romania
Buildings and structures in Bucharest
Unfinished buildings and structures in Romania
Libraries established in 1859
Library buildings completed in 2011