The , now (after the Douai-born poet
Marceline Desbordes-Valmore
Marceline Desbordes-Valmore (20 June 1786 – 23 July 1859) was a French poet and novelist.
She was born in Douai. Following the French Revolution, her father's business was ruined, and she traveled with her mother to Guadeloupe in search of fi ...
) is a
library
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
in
Douai
Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, Dou ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. Founded in 1767, it was bombed on August 11, 1944. The library reopened in 1955, in a new building designed by the architect Maurice Coasnes.
The special collections ("réserve patrimoniale") include 607 medieval manuscripts (many of which were confiscated at the suppression of
Anchin Abbey and
Marchiennes Abbey
Marchiennes Abbey was a French monastery located on the Scarpe in Marchiennes. It was founded around 630 by Adalbard of Douai, and Irish monks, disciples of Saint Columbanus, on the advice of Saint Amand. One of its founders was Rictrude, who ...
during the French Revolution), over 300
incunables, a considerable number of works printed in Douai on hand-operated presses from 1569 onwards, and the literary remains (letters and manuscripts) of
Marceline Desbordes-Valmore
Marceline Desbordes-Valmore (20 June 1786 – 23 July 1859) was a French poet and novelist.
She was born in Douai. Following the French Revolution, her father's business was ruined, and she traveled with her mother to Guadeloupe in search of fi ...
(1786-1859).
La réserve patrimoniale
, Library website. Consulted 22 Apr., 2014.
References
External links
La bibliothèque Marceline Desbordes-ValmorePage on the library
in Catalogue collectif de France (CCFr).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bibliotheque municipale de Douai
Public libraries in France
Buildings and structures in Douai
Education in Hauts-de-France
Libraries established in 1767
1767 establishments in France
Libraries in Hauts-de-France