The Royal Library in Copenhagen (Danish: Det Kongelige Bibliotek) is the national library of Denmark and the largest and most important library of Scandinavia. It contains many historical treasures; all works that have been printed in Denmark since the 17th century are deposited there. The library was founded around 1648 by King Frederik III who seeded it with a comprehensive collection of European works. It was opened to the public in 1793. In 1989 it was merged with the prestigious University Library. Today it has three sites: one at Fiolstræde specializing in the social sciences, one at Amager specializing in the humanities, and the main library at Slotsholmen covering all subjects. City nickname: none Location in Denmark Area  - Total  - Water 526 km² xxx km² xx% Population  - City (2004)  - Metropolitan  - Density 502,204 1,116,979 954/km2 [including water] xxx/km2 [land only] Time zone Eastern: UTC+1 Latitude Longitude 55°43 N 12°34 W Copenhagen (Danish: København) is... Modern-style library In its traditional sense, a library is a collection of books and periodicals. ... Scandinavia, Fennoscandia, and the Kola Peninsula. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... Events Peace treaty signed at Westphalia ends the Thirty Years War. ... Frederick III (March 28, 1609 – February 19, 1670) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death. ... 1793 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Slotsholmen is a small Danish island in Copenhagen Harbour. ...

The old building of the Slotsholmen site was built in 1906 and is a copy of Charlemagne's Palace chapel in the Aachen Cathedral. In 1999, a new building was opened at Slotsholmen, known as the "Black Diamond" (Den sorte diamant). Named for its outside cover of black marble and glass, it houses a concert hall in addition to the library. 1906 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... A Frankish king, like Charlemagne, (center) depicted in the Sacramentary of Charles the Bald (about 870) Charlemagne (c. ... Aachen Cathedral The Aachen Cathedral, frequently referred to as the Imperial Cathedral (in German: Kaiserdom) of Aachen, is the oldest cathedral in northern Europe. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... Marble This page is about the metamorphic rock. ...

Between 1968 and 1978, the library saw one of the largest book thefts ever. Someone had managed to steal some 3200 historical books worth more than $50 million, including manuscripts by Martin Luther and first editions by Immanuel Kant, Thomas More and John Milton. The theft remained undetected until 1975. Between 1998 and 2002, the thief succeeded in selling books worth some $2 million at various auctions. The case was finally solved in September 2003, after a stolen book had surfaced at Christie's auction house in London. The thief, an employee of the library's oriental department named Frede Møller-Kristensen, had died in February 2003. His family then became careless in selling the remaining books. At a raid of the family's home in November 2003, some 1500 books were recovered. In June 2004, his wife, son, daughter in law and a family friend were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 18 months to 3 years; the friend was acquitted on appeal. In April 2005, a daughter of the thief was also found guilty. 1968 was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... 1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... Martin Luther (originally Martin Luder or Martinus Luther) (November 10, 1483–February 18, 1546) was a German theologian and an Augustinian monk whose teachings inspired the Protestant Reformation and deeply influenced the doctrines of Lutheran, Protestant and other Christian traditions (a broad movement composed of many congregations and church bodies). ... A painting of Immanuel Kant in his middle age Immanuel Kant (April 22, 1724 in Königsberg – February 12, 1804) was a German philosopher from Prussia, generally regarded as one of Europes most influential thinkers and the last major philosopher of the Enlightenment. ... Portrait of Sir Thomas More by Hans Holbein the Younger Sir Thomas More (7 February 1478–6 July 1535), posthumously known also as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, writer, and politician. ... John Milton John Milton (December 9, 1608 – November 8, 1674) was an English poet, most famous for his blank verse epic Paradise Lost. ... 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Christies is a world-famous auction house located in London. ... The Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster which contains Big Ben London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ...

External links

• English home page of the library (http://www.kb.dk/index-en.htm)
• Photos of the Black Diamond (http://www.kb.dk/kultur/diamant/arkitektur/index.htm?arkitektur.htm)
• Regarding the theft:
  • Press release (http://www.kb.dk/engl-news/index-en1.htm)
  • Article about the appeal (http://www.dr.dk/nyheder/kriminalitet/article.jhtml?articleID=221661) (Danish)
  • Article about the daughter's case (http://www.dr.dk/nyheder/kriminalitet/article.jhtml?articleID=250819) (Danish)