Russian State Library, National library in Arbat District, Moscow, Russia.
The Russian State Library is a national collection and library in the Arbat District of Moscow, Russia, holding more than 47 million documents across multiple buildings. Visitors find 36 reading rooms that accommodate 1,500 people at once and provide access to books, journals, manuscripts, and digital resources.
The institution was founded in 1862 as part of the Moscow Public and Rumyantsev Museums and grew over the decades into one of the largest collections in the world. After World War II, the institution received the Order of Lenin in 1945 for its contributions to education and research.
The name Russian State Library reflects an institution where readers from around the world come to work with rare texts and scholarly materials. Researchers use the reading rooms regularly to consult sources in uncommon languages or examine old manuscripts.
The institution opens Monday through Saturday between 9 AM and 8 PM and requires all visitors aged 14 and older to present identification at the entrance. Those who want to use the reading rooms should allow some time for registration and can then visit different departments depending on their area of interest.
A digital platform provides access to 650,000 scanned documents, including manuscripts from the sixth century and early printed works like the Gutenberg Bible. The collection also holds the Voltaire Library with 7,000 volumes that preserve handwritten notes by the French writer.
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