Royal Library of Turin

The Biblioteca Reale di Torino (Latin: Bibliotheca Regia Taurinensis, German: Royal Library in Turin ) is a public, academic library in the Italian city of Turin. It is located in the building complex of the Royal Palace. The building was added to the UNESCO list of World Cultural Heritage Sites in 1997, as a former residence of the House of Savoy.

History

The library was founded in 1837 when Turin was the capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia. It was founded on the initiative of King Carlo Alberto of Sardinia (1798-1849), to take up his private library and the rare manuscripts from the collection of the House of Savoy. The library was the time of its foundation already printed volumes of 112,000 plants and more than 2,000 manuscripts.

Through further purchases Carlo Alberto increased the inventory of the collection at 2,000 Old Master drawings, including thirteen leaves of the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519 ). Among the so-called " self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci ", a study for the angel in the first version of the " Madonna of the Rocks " and a study of Leonardo for the angel in Verrocchio's "Baptism of Christ".

In 1893, during the reign of King Umberto I of Italy, was the collection of Leonardo da Vinci works to the added " Code on the Flight of Birds ", a bound collection of sheets of scientific writings, notes, sketches and drawings by the artist.

Today the library has over 200,000 volumes, 4,500 manuscripts, 3,055 drawings, 187 incunabula, about 5,000 prints of the 16th century, 1,500 documents and collections of maps, engravings and prints.