National Library of Russia, St. Petersburg

National Library of Russia, St. Petersburg

The National Library of Russia in Saint Petersburg is the oldest public library in the country and one of the largest in the world. Formerly known as the Imperial Public Library, it was established in 1795 by Catherine the Great and inaugurated on 14 January 1814. The Neoclassical building was designed by architect Yegor Sokolov.

At various times, the library's staff included prominent men of letters and scholars like Ivan Krylov, Anton Delvig and others. Throughout the 1850s, the NLR book collection grew exponentially, along with its readership. The influx of new visitors demanded larger facilities and prompted the arrival of such novelties as a reference desk, printed catalogs and guide books, lists of new acquisitions, and longer hours of service.

By 1913, the library had one million Russian publications (out of the total collection of three million titles), emerging as one of the world’s greatest libraries and the richest manuscript collection in the country. The latter included Bede – an Anglo-Saxon manuscript, the Ostromir Gospel – the second oldest East Slavic book in existence, the Codex Zographenis – an illuminated manuscript Gospel Book, and the personal collection of Voltaire.

During the Soviet period, the library was decorated with the Order of the Red Banner of Labour in 1939 and remained operational even during the gruesome Siege of Leningrad. Towards the end of the 20th century, it undertook a large-scale digitization effort.

Today, as an all-Russian center of librarianship, the National Library contains over 33 million volumes, complete with the archives of Peter I, Catherine II, Nicholas II, Peter Tchaikovsky, Fyodor Chaliapin, and many other historic individuals.
Sight description based on Wikipedia.

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National Library of Russia on Map

Sight Name: National Library of Russia
Sight Location: St. Petersburg, Russia (See walking tours in St. Petersburg)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Walking Tours in St. Petersburg, Russia

Create Your Own Walk in St. Petersburg

Create Your Own Walk in St. Petersburg

Creating your own self-guided walk in St. Petersburg is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
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Russian Literary Heritage Walking Tour

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Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 5.9 Km or 3.7 Miles
Nevsky Prospekt Walking Tour

Nevsky Prospekt Walking Tour

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Upon his founding of the city in 1703, Tsar Peter the Great planned the course of the street as the outset of...  view more

Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.1 Km or 1.9 Miles
Bolshevik Revolution Walking Tour

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Tour Duration: 4 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 9.8 Km or 6.1 Miles
St. Petersburg Introduction Walking Tour

St. Petersburg Introduction Walking Tour

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The city is integral with...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.3 Km or 2.7 Miles
Vasilyevsky Island Walking Tour

Vasilyevsky Island Walking Tour

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There are various versions of the origin of the island's name suggesting either Vasily-related etymology or perhaps just a corruption of the previous Swedish or Finnish name, e.g. Vasikkasaari (“Calf Island”). Legend has it, however, that some...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.7 Km or 1.7 Miles

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16 Unique Russian Things to Seek in St. Petersburg

16 Unique Russian Things to Seek in St. Petersburg

The "cradle of two revolutions", St. Petersburg bears cultural and historic significance for Russia that is hard to overestimate. Perhaps, nearly every stone in the downtown part of the city breathes history and can qualify as a memorable souvenir, although picking up them for such purpose...