Our people have been fond of literature for millennia. The first temple of the book appeared in Kiev, on the initiative of Prince Yaroslav the Wise back in 1037. For a long time this store was the best in the world. Today, the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg falls into the list of unique book depositories.
From plan to work
Previously, only the rich and aristocrats had the luxury of collecting books. But some small folios in the houses of nobles could not become the foundation for a strong layer of intelligentsia, which the state demanded. The first attempts to create reading rooms were made at the Academies. But not everyone had access to such rooms, and the specialization of textbooks was narrow.
Therefore, the question arose of creating a home where even simple sections of the population could receive knowledge.
This function was performed by the Imperial Public Reading Room, which later became known as the National Library of Russia. St. Petersburg became the center of the state after the reforms of Peter I. Therefore, the city where the new premises were laid was chosen without hesitation. As an example, took European bookstores.
Empress dream
The birth date of the library is considered to be May 16 (27), 1795. It was then that Queen Catherine the Great accepted the project proposed by the architect Egor Sokolov. After approval of the plan, construction began immediately. The work was paid from the state treasury.
For a short time they chose the land for the building, which in the future became known as the Russian National Library. In St. Petersburg, the center is considered Nevsky Prospect. There they allocated a place for a new building.
The peculiarity of the temple of the word was that the room was primarily conceived not just as a warehouse for historically important books and documents, but a public, accessible place. It should be noted that there was another task that the researchers faced - to collect and systematize all the literature written in Russian.
Development peak
Under the strict guidance of the construction and collection of materials in the library. The case dragged on, and the reading room celebrated the opening only on January 2 (14), 1814. So the Russian National Library was founded in St. Petersburg.
Over the years, not only the number of volumes, but also the number of visitors has increased. The outstanding minds of that time: writers, philosophers, scientists helped to collect the collection. Their work was not in vain, and already in 1864 almost 90% of all Russian-language publications were collected in the reading rooms.
As planned, over time, more and more people from simple families began to come. Petty bourgeois, peasants, bankrupt nobles - everyone was equally joyfully greeted by the reading room. Frequent guests of the house were women. They also established contacts with other book depositories of the world. The institution worked closely with universities and academies.
Halls without an audience
The imperial public reading room, which today is known to the reader as the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg, acquired new features after the advent of Soviet power.
The leadership determined the completely opposite ideological course that society should adhere to. At first, the supply was replenished only through private collections, which were taken from their rightful owners - private individuals. They brought literature from monasteries and churches. During the years of World War II, the library did not stop its activity and even during the blockade it handed out books to readers.
Since the 50s, the number of readers, and, accordingly, of employees has increased. Shelves replenished with new and new copies.
Difficult times came after the collapse of the USSR. The number of visitors has fallen sharply. Also, new copies of literature ceased to arrive.
Today, the authorities are trying to instill in the young generation a love of the book. To do this, create all the necessary conditions. The Russian State Reading Room (Moscow), the Presidential Library (St. Petersburg) - these and other repositories are the pride of the country.