National Library of Romania
Main building of the Library
The Romanian National Library ( Biblioteca romanian Naţională a României, BNR ) was founded in 1838 and is the largest library of Romania. On April 23, 2012, she moved on Bulevardul Unirii, Bucharest number 22 in its new building. Previously, she was housed in a building near the University Square. The Romanian National Library can look back on a hundred years of history. Depending on the particular political system they wore different names over time. Their population is approximately 13 million publications.
History
The origins of the Romanian National Library date back to the College Sfântu Sava, who led one of the largest libraries in the country. The College Sfântu Sava was founded in 1838 and had a stock of 1,000 volumes. After the union of the Romanian principalities of 1859, the library was proclaimed the national library to be renamed in 1864 in Central State Library. In the period 1901-1955 it came to the resolution of the Central State Library. In their place was declared in 1901, the Library of the Romanian Academy for the National Library. As a consequence, the book inventory of the Academy was transferred. In 1955 she was awarded the title back Central State Library and the former book inventory.
The construction of the new building, whose size is about one- third of the parliament building, started in 1986 during the reign of dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu. After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, the construction work came to a standstill. For both buildings Ceauşescu had to demolish an entire historic district. After a long controversy about the use of the construction work in 2009 were continued but under different aesthetic sign. Architect Eliodor Popa from exporting Contractors Carpati SRL let the classical flourishes facade partially cover with asymmetrical glass fronts. The original, overloaded with baroque -like ornamentation and column facades have been completely redesigned from him. The back as the flanks now adorn durchfensterte simple columns facades. The semi-circular front facade of the building, which was previously made a monumental half- rotunda with arcades and was ridiculed as a kitschy imitation of the Colosseum, now completely dominate the greenish glass and understated metal support. The project is 120 million Euros, Romania's biggest investment in the cultural sector since the revolution.
The completed new headquarters of the National Library was officially opened in December 2011 by former Prime Minister Emil Boc and inaugurated on 22 April 2012 by the Romanian Orthodox Patriarch Daniel. The new National Library is open to the public since 23 April, 2012. Also, Romania's Ministry of Culture will soon be housed here. The total floor space is 120,000 square meters, which is a third of the floor space of the parliament building, which is considered one of the largest buildings in the world.
Stock
The book collections of the National Library, which had its seat in a not suited Palace in Bucharest, were housed there only in part, other parts were spread across a number of libraries in the country. The library has a 30-meter -high atrium, 14 reading rooms on seven floors, an auditorium, six conference rooms, exhibition, office and storage rooms, and two cafes. More than 12 million books, newspapers and magazines and about 500,000 old documents are located in the library.
The virtual library in turn has more than half a million titles. Print editions, manuscripts, historical documents, ancient art prints, photographs and maps, as well as the historical archives were digitized. The most valuable work of the national library is the Codex Aureus - the first part of the Lorsch Gospels from the Hofskriptorium of Charlemagne, which is dated to the year 810, while the second part in Rome, in the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana is kept. The Codex Aureus is digitally accessible to the public - the handwriting can flip through the pictures can be enlarged at will.