The National Library of Chile () 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 ...

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

. It is located on the

Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins Avenida Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins ( en, General Liberator Bernardo O'Higgins Avenue), popularly known as La Alameda (meaning, a street bordered by poplar trees), is the main avenue of Santiago, Chile. It runs east-west in the center o ...

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whos ...

, in a building completed in 1925, though its history reaches to the early nineteenth century before it was relocated to its current home.

History

The Biblioteca Nacional is, together with the Instituto Nacional and a small number of institutions, one of the first institutions created by the newly formed Republic of Chile in the Patria Vieja period. In the newspaper '' El Monitor Araucano'', a ''Proclama de Fundación'' ("Proclamation of Foundation") of the Biblioteca Nacional was published on August 19, 1813. With this vision, a call was made to all the citizens to submit their books for the formation of one great public library. As with other republican institutions, the library was closed after the

Disaster of Rancagua The Battle of Rancagua, also known in Chile as the Disaster of Rancagua, occurred on October 1, 1814, to October 2, 1814, when the Spanish Army under the command of Mariano Osorio defeated the rebel Chilean forces led by Bernardo O’Higgins ...

, in which the national troops were defeated by the army of the '' realistas''. With the victorious

Battle of Chacabuco The Battle of Chacabuco, fought during the Chilean War of Independence, occurred on February 12, 1817. The Army of the Andes of the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, led by Captain–General José de San Martín, defeated a Spanish fo ...

, it was reopened and supported by the government, and started to receive important collections. The

Supreme Director of Chile The Supreme Director of Chile was the head of state and government of Chile following the independence from Spain in 1810, until 1826. Several juntas also ruled the country during this period. List ;Political parties See also *President of ...

Bernardo O'Higgins Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme (; August 20, 1778 – October 24, 1842) was a Chilean independence leader who freed Chile from Spanish rule in the Chilean War of Independence. He was a wealthy landowner of Basque-Spanish and Irish ancestry. Alth ...

, named professor

Manuel de Salas Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Ma ...

as the first director of the Biblioteca Nacional. In 1822 Friar

Camilo Henríquez Friar José Camilo Henríquez González (; July 29, 1769 in Valdivia, Chile – March 16, 1825 in Santiago de Chile) was a priest, author, politician, and is considered an intellectual antecedent to and founding father of the Republic of Chile ...

(director of the ''

Aurora de Chile The ''Aurora de Chile'' (English: ''Dawn of Chile'') was the first periodical in Chilean history and mostly dealt with politics and political philosophy. It was in print from Thursday, February 13, 1812, to Thursday, April 1, 1813, at which point i ...

'' newspaper) was named as the second head librarian. Since its creation, the library had been a dependency of the Universidad de San Felipe and its successor, the

Universidad de Chile The University of Chile ( es, Universidad de Chile) is a public research university in Santiago, Chile. It was founded on November 19, 1842, and inaugurated on September 17, 1843.

, until it gained autonomy in 1852. In 1913, upon its 100th anniversary, the Biblioteca Nacional acquired the ''Monasterio de Santa Clara'', located on the Alameda de las Delicias on present-day

Cerro Santa Lucía Cerro is Spanish for "hill" or "mountain". Toponyms ;Bolivia: * Cerro Rico, the "Rich Mountain" containing silver ore near Potosi, Bolivia ;Brazil: *Cerro Branco, a municipality of Rio Grande do Sul * Cerro Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, a municip ...

. At the creation in 1929, the library was made into a dependency of the '' Dirección de Bibliotecas, Archivos y Museos''.

Location

Sala Gabriela Mistral de la Biblioteca Nacional de Chile

Since 1925, Biblioteca Nacional has been situated in the centre of

Santiago, Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

. It was formerly located in the square where now stands the ''Teatro Municipal de Santiago'' ( Municipal Theater of Santiago). Construction of the present building began in 1913. It was commissioned as one of the commemorative public works in honour of the first

centenary {{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years. Notable events Notable centennial events at a ...

of the independence of Chile. The building boasts an imposing façade of columns and arches, of very pronounced French neoclassical influence. The library shares its building with the Archivo Nacional de Chile (the National Archive). Adjoining the building is the Santa Lucía metro station, and to the east is

. The interior, spread out over two main levels and a basement, has been embellished and decorated with carved marble staircases, sculptures and paintings from some of the country's classic artists, such as Alfredo Helsby and Arturo Gordon. Biblioteca Nacional de Chile, sala computadores detalle puerta

Biblioteca Nacional de Chile, sala computadores detalle puerta

Collections

The Biblioteca Nacional has an extensive and valuable collection of books and manuscripts. Several of these were acquired from or donated by their owners, making up an important national historical treasure. The most important collections include:

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Library buildings completed in 1925 Buildings and structures in Santiago Libraries in Chile

Tourist attractions in Santiago, Chile Education in Santiago, Chile World Digital Library partners National Monuments of Chile Deposit libraries

History

Location

Collections

See also

References

Further reading

External links