Bibliothèque nationale de France facts for kids
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The Bibliothèque nationale de France (which means National Library of France) is a huge library in Paris, France. It's like a giant treasure chest filled with books, old documents, and many other important things from France's history and culture.
History of the National Library
The National Library of France started a very long time ago, in 1368. It was founded by King Charles V at the Louvre palace. Over the years, it grew much bigger, especially under King Louis XIV. It first opened its doors to the public in 1692, so people could visit and read.
France went through many changes in its government over time. Because of these changes, the library's name changed too, becoming the Imperial National Library for a while. In 1868, it moved to new buildings on the Rue de Richelieu. By 1896, this library was the biggest collection of books in the entire world!
Later, in 1988, the President of France at the time, François Mitterrand, decided to build a brand new, modern library. Today, it holds more than twenty million items, including books, magazines, maps, and much more.
Special Collections: Manuscripts
The library has many special collections. One important collection is its manuscripts. Manuscripts are old documents or books that were written by hand, often before printing presses were invented.
The library has about 5,000 very old Greek manuscripts. It also holds the Jikji, which is a super important document. The Jikji is the oldest known document that was printed using movable metal type. This means it was made with individual metal letters that could be rearranged to print different words, just like how modern printing works!
Images for kids
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Reading room, Richelieu site
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View of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, François-Mitterrand site
See also
In Spanish: Biblioteca Nacional de Francia para niños
