Central National library of Florence

The central National library of Florence (in Italian Biblioteca Nazionale Power station di Firenze ), also known under the initials BNCF , is one of both national libraries of the Italy, with that of Rome.

It is located Piazza dei Cavalleggeri .

Origin of the funds

Its original core comes from the collection of Antonio Magliabechi, which bequeathed more than 30.000 volumes to the town of Florence in 1714.

The collection was packed with the decision of the large-duke François II of Tuscany to make deposit a specimen of all that was printed in Florence (1737) then in all Tuscany (1743).

History

Opened with the public as from 1747, it received many gifts and deposits, in particular of convents removed as from the years 1770.

The library takes the name of national in 1861 and central in 1885.

In 1966, it suffers the catastrophic damage following the Inondations of Florence and it sees its collections destroyed or damaged per hundreds of thousands of volumes; even its photographic archives disappear, they same which were the only traces of works destroyed or flights during the war. According to UNESCO, “more than two manuscript and rare and irreplaceable volume million innumerable are seriously damaged”.

External bonds

Official site

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