The History of the National Library of Russia

The history of the National Library of Russia begins with its foundation on 27 May 1795 and covers a period of just under two hundred years. The history of the country during these two centuries covers many different periods: eras of Catherine the Great, Alexander I, Nicholas I, the major reforms which took place in the 1850s, the February Revolution of 1917 and the October Revolution, the World War II. All events and the changed conditions of Russian life inevitably affected life in the Library.

Investigate the various ages that comprise the history of the National Library of Russia.

•  The Principal Book Repository in Russia (1795 - 1813)
•  The New Temple of Enlightenment in St.-Petersburg (1814 - 1842)
•  The Arrival of Dmitry Buturlin as Director (1843 - 1849)
•  The Political Spring in Russia (1850 - 1859)
•  The "Modern Era": the Second Half of the 19th Century (1860 - 1899)
•  The Pre-Revolutionary Years (1900 - 1917)
•  The Period of the Civil War and Building a Socialist Economy (1918 - 1940)
•  The Years of the Great Patriotic War (1941 - 1945)
•  The Second Half of the 20th Century (1946 - 1995)