National Library of Estonia

The National Library of Estonia (Estonian Eesti Rahvusraamatukogu ) is located on the mountain Tõnismägi in the capital Tallinn. It is one of the most important public institutions for preservation and transmission of Estonian culture.

History

On 21 December 1918, the Provisional Government of the Republic of Estonia sovereign become just issued a decree establishing the State Library ( Riigi Raamatukogu ). The stock of about 2000 books was originally located in a wing of the castle and Tallinn was only members of the Estonian Parliament accessible. Since 1919, each printed in Estonia book must be issued with a mandatory copy to the library. 1935, a collection of Estonian archival prints was established. In the 1930s, the stock had grown to about 50,000 units and is now available to everyone.

With the Soviet occupation of Estonia, the institution in 1940 State Library of the Estonian SSR ( Eesti NSV Riiklik Raamatukogu ) has been renamed. The collection has been extended to Soviet pressure works, which consisted primarily of legal deposit from throughout the USSR. Parts of the library that contained the communist authorities unwelcome plants were closed to the public. 1953 the library received the name of the Estonian literary and publicist Friedrich Reinhold Kreutz forest. The number grew to about one million units.

1988, under the sign of glasnost and perestroika, the library received its present name. Since that time she met the traditional tasks of a national library. Since 1989 she is also Estonian parliamentary library and supports the Estonian MPs as an information center in their work.

In early 2009, the body of the Estonian National Library more than 3.4 million media units.

Building

The building of the Estonian National Library was built in the years 1985 to 1993 as a fortress-like building designed by the architect Raine Karp Estonian. Of the eight floors there are two beneath the earth. In addition to the magazines, the building includes a conference center, an auditorium and various exhibition halls. 600 reading spaces available to visitors.