The new buildings of the library. Note the L-shaped towers.

The Bibliothèque nationale de France, or BnF, started by King Charles V 1368, is designed as a repository of all that is published in France. Photo of the Bibliothèque nationale de France Found on de: and fr: File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Photo of the Bibliothèque nationale de France Found on de: and fr: File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Charles V the Wise (French: Charles V le Sage) (January 31, 1338 – September 16, 1380) was king of France (1364 to 1380) and a member of the Valois Dynasty. ... Events Timur ascends throne of Samarkand. ...

History

The National Library of France traces its origin to the library of the king founded at the Louvre by Charles V. It expanded under Louis XIV and opened to the public in 1720. Following the series of regime changes in France it became the Imperial National Library and in 1868 was moved to newly constructed buildings on the rue Richelieu designed by Henri Labrouste. The main courtyard of the Louvre. ... Charles V the Wise (French: Charles V le Sage) (January 31, 1338 – September 16, 1380) was king of France (1364 to 1380) and a member of the Valois Dynasty. ... (Louis-Dieudonné) (September 5, 1638 – September 1,rance]] and King of Navarre from May 14, 1643 until his death. ... Events January 6 - The Committee of Inquiry on the South Sea Bubble publishes its findings February 11 - Sweden and Prussia sign the (2nd Treaty of Stockholm) declaring peace. ... 1868 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Categories: People stubs | 1801 births | 1875 deaths | French architects ...

On 14 July 1988, François Mitterrand announced the construction and the expansion of one of the greatest and the most modern library of the world, intended to cover all fields of knowledge, and designed to be accessible to all, using the most modern data transfer technologies, which could be consulted from a distance, and which would collaborate with other European libraries. In July 1989, the services of the architectural firm of Dominique Perrault were retained. After the move of the major collections from the rue Richelieu, the National Library of France opened to the public on 20 December 1996. It contains more than ten million volumes. July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 170 days remaining. ... 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand (October 26, 1916 – January 8, 1996;  pronunciation) was a French politician and President of France from May 1981, re-elected in 1988, until 1995. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 20 is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

The new building is made of a large esplanade and four L-shaped towers, whose shape recall the shape of an open book. This architecture was controversial; many judged that it was costly, and not very suitable to the storage of book collections. Indeed, wood boards had to be set up at the windows to protect the books from the light.

The nearest Paris Métro station is Bibliothèque François Mitterrand. Paris Art Nouveau Metro sign The Paris Métro is the metro (underground) system in Paris, France. ... A metro station is a train station for a metro. ...

Mission

The National Library of France is a public establishment under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture. Its mission is to constitute collections, especially the copies of works published in France that must, by law, be deposited there, conserve them, and make them available to the public. It produces a reference catalogue, cooperates with other national and international establishments, and participates in research programs.

See also

• Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal

External links

• BNF Web site (http://www.bnf.fr/)
• Gallica, BNF's digital library (http://gallica.bnf.fr/)