Warsaw Public Library

Warsaw Public Library (Polish: Biblioteka Publiczna m.st. Warszawy) is one of the main libraries in Warsaw, and one of the largest in Poland.

Warsaw Public Library
Biblioteka Publiczna m.st. Warszawy
TypePublic library
Established1907
LocationWarsaw, Poland
Coordinates52.222307°N 21.01853°E / 52.222307; 21.01853
Collection
Size1,380,000
Other information
DirectorMichał Strąk
Websitewww.koszykowa.pl
Map

The library was founded in 1907 by the Public Library Society, which was formed by foremost Polish educators and intelligentsia, such as Stanisław Leszczyński, Samuel Dickstein, Ludwik Krzywicki and Stefan Żeromski. Since 1914 the library is in Koszykowa Street. At that time the institution was led by Faustyn Czerwijowski, the first chairman of the library, who served in this position till 1937. Before the outbreak of World War II the library already contained 500,000 book volumes. In January 1945 it was set ablaze by retreating Nazi German soldiers. As a result, 300,000 books were destroyed, another 100,000 were stolen.[1]

As of late 2008 the library contains 1,380,000 volumes. New books, magazines, manuscripts and other materials are being gradually added.

See also
  • List of libraries damaged during the World War II

References
  1. Biblioteka na Koszykowej: O nas at the Wayback Machine (archived August 15, 2010)

Further reading
  • Kazimiera Maleczyńska, Książki i biblioteki w Polsce okresu zaborów, Książki o książce, Ossolineum, Wrocław 1987.
  • Ewa Popławska-Bukało: Siedziba Biblioteki Publicznej m.st. Warszawy - Dzieje i architektura gmachu, Warszawa 2006.


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