National Library of Brazil

The National Library of Brazil sits in a neoclassical building at Cinelândia Square and holds over nine million items across roughly eleven linear kilometers of shelves. The building itself displays the elegant architecture of the early twentieth century and was designed as a place to preserve knowledge.

The origin traces to the transfer of the royal collection from Portugal to Brazil in 1808, after which the institution was founded in 1810. This founding marked the beginning of an establishment designed to document the knowledge and history of the Brazilian nation.

The collection here preserves Brazilian literary heritage through books, manuscripts, photographs, maps, and music from different periods. These materials tell the story of Brazil through their diversity and show how people in the country lived and thought.

The building is located downtown on Rio Branco Avenue and is open on weekdays and Saturdays. Visitors should plan for extended visits since the collections are large and require time to explore.

The Teresa Cristina Maria photograph collection contains roughly 21,700 images from the nineteenth century, recognized by UNESCO as significant documentation of Brazilian society. These rare pictures show daily life, landscapes, and people from Brazil during that historical period.

Location: Rio de Janeiro

Location: Centro

Inception: 1810

Address: Avenida Rio Branco, 219, Centro, Rio de Janeiro

Phone: +552130953879

Email: visiguia@bn.br

Website: https://gov.br/bn/pt-br

GPS coordinates: -22.90972,-43.17550

Latest update: December 12, 2025 18:24