National Library of Spain
Madrid, Spain. Founded 1712.
- Type: National
- City: Madrid
- Country: Spain
- Founded: 1712
Overview
Founded by Philip V in 1712 as the Real Biblioteca Publica, the national library of Spain holds more than 33 million items, including priceless medieval manuscripts, early Cervantes editions, and the archives of Spanish writers. Legal deposit, in force since 1716, guarantees a copy of everything printed in Spain, and the neoclassical building on the Paseo de Recoletos hosts rotating exhibitions of its treasures.
Related Libraries
General Archive of the Indies
King Charles III gathered the documents of Spanish colonial administration into the old merchants exchange of Seville in 1785. Tod...
Royal Library of El Escorial
Philip II gathered a humanist library for his monastery palace and ordered it frescoed with scenes of the arts and sciences by Pel...
General Archive of Simancas
Emperor Charles V ordered royal records gathered in the castle of Simancas near Valladolid in 1540, creating one of the first offi...
Library of Congress
Founded by act of Congress signed by John Adams, burned by the British in 1814, and rebuilt partly with Thomas Jeffersons library ...