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SPAIN >> Madrid
Biblioteca Nacional

You don’t need to be a bookworm to appreciate a fine city library, and if you visit Madrid and don't spend an hour or two at the Biblioteca Nacional near the Plaza de Colón, you'll miss one of the city's finest attractions.

The facade alone is worth the visit. A lovely example of neoclassical architecture, the building has three entrance archways and the whole is constructed on grand and most impressive scale. Take a moment to look up and enjoy the view of the upper galleries.

Elaborate wrought-iron gates grace the exterior and elegant carvings festoon the Corinthian columns. On either side of the main staircase are statues of Alfonso X and San Isidoro. Alongside the main doors are images of many of Spain's literary luminaries including Cervantes and de Leon.

Constructed during the 19th century under the auspices of Isabel II, the library contains more than five million books. Not the largest repository in the world by any means, but unquestionably the finest collection of Spanish volumes anywhere. The collection grew from an original nucleus which was the royal library of Phillip V, founded in 1712. In some cases bought, in others seized as part of an imperialist conqueror’s booty, the books cover every conceivable aspect of Spain's culture and history.

The Biblioteca Nacional is regarded as the National Library of Spain and the centerpiece of a system that has branches all over the country. Among the millions of items are 30,000 manuscripts and 500,000 books printed before 1831, not to mention a newspaper collection of nearly 20,000 editions. Along with the books and manuscripts, there are rare engravings and drawings, almost two million photographs and 134,000 maps in the collection.

If you’re lucky, your visit to Madrid will coincide with one of the Biblioteca Nacional’s frequently sponsored exhibitions… drawings by Rembrandt and various works by other notable literary and artistic masters. You can check the schedule at: http://www.bne.es/index_eng.html

Admission is free and the library is open year round.
 




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