Biblioteca Palatina di Parma, Public library in Palazzo della Pilotta, Parma, Italy
The Biblioteca Palatina occupies several halls within the Palazzo della Pilotta and displays neoclassical wooden shelves designed by architect Ennemond Alexandre Petitot. The collection contains more than 700,000 books, thousands of manuscripts, rare early printed works, and fine drawings.
Duke Filippo di Borbone founded the library in 1761 and appointed Paolo Maria Paciaudi as its first librarian to establish a public educational institution. The facility rapidly became one of the region's most important collections.
The library holds precious manuscripts including the Atlantic Bible and the earliest known Hebrew Bible in Italy. These works shape visitor understanding of European religious and cultural heritage.
The halls are well organized and easy to navigate, with clear signage and friendly staff who help with orientation. The building is bright and offers a pleasant setting for reading and exploring the collection.
Paciaudi introduced Italy's first mobile card catalog system, documenting author names, titles, printing techniques, and content evaluations for each work. This method was groundbreaking for organizing knowledge collections of his era.
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