Royal Library

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Royal Library

Royal library

Humlegårdsgatan
Stockholm 11446
+46 (0)8 463 4000
http://www.kb.se

Kungliga Biblioteket, the royal library, was constructed in the sixteenth century. Since 1661, a copy of everything that has been printed in Sweden has ended up in its archives. Initially, the collection was stored in the attic of the old Royal Palace, and later in one of its wings. During the wars in the seventeenth century, many foreign books ended up in the country, such as the Codex Gigas, which dates back to thirteenth-century Prague. Parts of the collection ended up in the Vatican when Queen Christina left Sweden for Rome. In 1697 a major part of it was lost in the disastrous fire at the Royal Palace. Later the collections moved back into the palace after it was rebuilt, where it remained until 1877. Today Kungliga Biblioteket is a public library.

Review © 2009, Wcities

Royal Library Photo: Michael Folmer

Royal Library Photo: Kerstin Jarnling