STATE LIBRARY OF RUSSIA
As you leave the metro station that bears his name, you will notice this imposing building with a statue of the writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky in front of it. This is one of the most important libraries in the world, with a collection of 17.5 million volumes on more than 275 kilometres of shelves.
The library was founded on July1, 1862, as the first free library open to the public, under the name of the Moscow Public Museum and Rumyantsev Museum Library. From 1925 to 1991, it became the V.I. Lenin State Library of the USSR, hence its nickname, which you can still hear frequently used: Leninka. It was not until 1992 that it received its current name.
Since 1922, everything that has been, is and will be published in Russia has been housed here, and today it has a very rich collection of rare archives. The wooded reading rooms in the grand style of the USSR are worth a visit, but it is a laborious process that requires the creation of a reader's card (free, with an ID). There is also a small book museum. For those who wish to work there, the library is equipped with a high-end wifi. Please keep a religious silence though, the library staff are fierce and very responsive. In a city where most libraries are empty, this one is an exception and is loved by the public.
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