Royal Library of Madrid, National library within Royal Palace, Madrid, Spain
The Royal Library of Madrid is Spain's national library housed in a neoclassical building featuring Corinthian columns and decorative sculptures at its entrance. The building contains millions of items in its collection, spanning manuscripts, maps, photographs, and printed works from across Spanish history.
King Philip V founded this library in the early 1700s as a way to gather and preserve Spain's documentary wealth. Over the centuries, it evolved from a royal collection into the country's most important repository of national heritage.
The library serves as a keeper of Spanish intellectual and literary heritage, holding collections that reflect the nation's cultural development. Visitors can see how the country preserves its own story through books, manuscripts, and historical documents.
The building sits on Paseo de Recoletos and is easy to reach by public transportation. Visitors should prepare in advance, as accessing the collections requires certain procedures and some areas may not be open to everyone.
The library features a special exhibition called 'El Infierno y las Maravillas' that tells the story of how human knowledge has evolved over time. This exhibition spans four thematic rooms and offers an unexpected window into the history of learning, from the origins of writing to future possibilities.
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