National Library of Brazil

Here, on your left, you’ll find Rio’s National Library. It has an eclectic architectural style, fusing neoclassical and art nouveau elements, and it’s here to impress. This library holds the key to Brazil’s past. It has a copy of every book published in the country since its founding. Even today, the decree on legal deposit is still in force, mandating the donation of a sample of every book printed in Brazil to the library. The Library’s history dates back to the arrival of the Portuguese royal family here, in the new capital of their colonial empire. Some fifty years earlier, a major earthquake in Lisbon led to a fire that destroyed the royal library. In response, King Joseph I ordered a brand-new collection of books. When the Portuguese court fled to Brazil during the Napoleonic Wars, they brought this precious collection with them, likely for safekeeping against French raids. It took three whole voyages between 1810 and 1811 to transport this collection of over 60,000 valuable items. The problem was that Rio had no building big enough to house this literary treasure. It was first housed in a hospital, then in a palace, but it kept growing, so finally in 1905, they built a big, beautiful library. With a collection of over 9 million documents, it is one of the largest libraries in the Americas and the most important in Latin America. It houses many precious documents, manuscripts, maps, drawings, music sheets, photos, as well as rare books, the very first prints of colonial Brazil and the collection of the former Portuguese Royal Library. This collection has been listed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. If you are curious and eager to explore its interior, which is very much like a museum, consider taking one of the free, multilingual guided tours on offer. To do so, just head to the reception desk in the main hall. Of course, you’re more than welcome to explore on your own, as libraries are in principle open to the public.