To celebrate the renovation of their Richelieu site, especially the astonishingly beautiful reading room (a listed historical monument), the BNF is organising long weekend during which they’ll be opening their doors for free visits and special event so you can discover what’s new.

Here’s all the info.

Bannière au 58 rue de Richelieu : ✅ Plus que quelques jours avant le #WEPORichelieu (week-end portes ouvertes). L'occasion unique de découvrir les espaces rénovés du site #Richelieu ! Tout le #weekend visites guidées, conférences et performances sont au programme pour fêter ce trésor du #patrimoine ! Lien vers le programme dans notre bio. #opendoors #igersarchitecture #igersparis #heritagesite

A photo posted by Bibliothèque nationale France (@labnf) on Jan 11, 2017 at 3:17am PST

After seven years of renovation, come and discover the amazing and historical National Library. It’s certainly looking a lot cleaner inside and out!
The building was constructed in 1867 by Henri Labrouste (the same architect that devised the Sainte-Geneviève Library) and while renovation continues until 2020, the most important phase is now complete:

– a new, 1st floor glass corridor overlooking the courtyard, (which will soon have its original paving reinstated)

– the hall has been completely restored

– the Labrouste reading room – the most impressive space in the building spanning 10,000 m² – has had its structure, paint, floor and furniture renovated to make it look almost brand new

– three levels (each 2m30 high) of the books stocks behind the main reading room and now open to the public for the first time

– there are new rooms for the performing arts department, destined to become a new exhibition space open to the public in 2020

– the impressive Auguste Rondel gallery (44 metres long and nearly 10 metres wide) has been restored

– two other reading rooms have been redesigned and refurnished

Friday 13th is for professionals, but the BNF is open for the weekend with:

– discovery visits of the restored areas from 11am-7pm

– projections in the Labrouste reading room, telling you all about the architectural project

– presentations of works of interest from the collections

and a lot more.

For full details of what’s on (in French), click here, and to download the programme as a PDF file, click here.

The open days at the BNF’s Richelieu site (here) are 14th & 15th January 2017

Open Saturday 11am-10pm and Sunday 11am-7pm

Free!

Website: bnf.fr

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Twitter: twitter.com/laBnF

Instagram: instagram.com/labnf