Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris

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Also known as Bibliotheque Nationale de France, this is what is on the other side of the Pont des Arts. What an impressive building for a Library!
I didn't have any intentions of visiting inside, just wanted a look from the outside, as this Library is regarded as one of the largest research and public libraries in the world. Exhibitions are held in the Library, fees are applicable.
For more information, check out the website

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This is the newest and largest of the five public sites of the French National Library. It was one of the "great projects" -- which included the Great Arch, the Opéra Bastille and the Pyramid of the Louvre -- that were undertaken during the presidency of François Mitterrand, who was the President of France from 1981 to 1995.

The library consists of a huge square building with a forest in the inner courtyard and four L-shaped high-rise buildings at the four corners. It was built during the 1990s and completed in 1998.

Second photo: This striking new "Discovery Space" is a permanent exhibition of the library's history, and a guide to its resources.

Third photo: One of the many reading rooms in the new library.

Fourth photo: People in the new library.

If you're on your way to Bibliothèque Nationale François Mitterrand, take the new metro line called Météor! It's totally automatized, so it works without an operator & is still fast & accurate. If you're lucky [as I was], you could find an empty front seat, which seems like you're driving the metro yourself! ;o)

The Library itself is another wonder of architecture & I can only imagine what it contains inside its walls... I've heard there's a little forest inbetween the four towers, where the students can have a break. Would just love to get inside someday...

The Bibliothèque Nationale de France was first a royal and later an imperial library before becoming a national institution. Its mission is to collect and conserve all works published, whatever the media, with the purpose ofmaking them available to researchers and professionals.Under french law, publishers must deposit several copies of the works they publish in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.

BNF, as it's called in Paris, is a really nice place to read books, of course, but one of its best qualities relies upon the "little world" built around the library : consequently, it has become a place to wander around, watch a movie or even doze under the sun...

La BNF, comme on l'appelle a Paris, est bien entendu un endroit pour consulter des ouvrages, vu que c'est surtout une bibliotheque, mais l'un de ses avantages repose sur le "petit monde" crée tout autour. Ca en devient un endroit agreable pour se promener, mater un film ou ronfler sous le soleil...

The french national library
This library is one of the large public works make by Francois Mitterand.

This building shows 4 books open.