National Library of Catalonia, National library in El Raval, Barcelona, Spain
The National Library of Catalonia occupies medieval buildings of the former Hospital de la Santa Creu, with four underground levels holding approximately 40 kilometers of shelving for books, manuscripts, maps, and periodicals. The building combines historic architecture above ground with extensive modern storage facilities designed to preserve these vast collections.
The institution was founded in 1907 as the library of the Institut d'Estudis Catalans and opened to the public in 1914. It relocated to its current location in 1940, becoming a central repository for Catalan knowledge and cultural heritage.
The library serves as a repository of Catalan identity and intellectual memory, accessible to anyone interested in the region's cultural heritage across centuries. Visitors encounter materials in various languages and formats that reflect the diversity of Catalan thought and expression.
The library is located at Carrer de l'Hospital 56 in the Raval neighborhood and operates on weekdays from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM and Saturdays from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Visitors need to obtain a reader's card to access the collections.
The library joined Google Books in 2007 as only the second non-English speaking library to participate in this global digitization initiative. This partnership brought Catalan works to millions of readers worldwide through online access.
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