If you have not found an item in our catalogues, ask the question to the librarians.
21.11.2023Petrine Archive of Voltaire
The National Library of Russia presents the online resource Petrine Archive of Voltaire which showcases materials from the Voltaire Library. The Voltaire Library preserves five volumes of documents that Voltaire used when working on The History of the Russian Empire under Peter the Great (Histoire de l’empire de Russie, t. 1–2, Genève, 1759–1763). These documents are translations into French of historical sources about the activities and personality of Peter the Great. The online project continues our programme to make our important manuscripts freely available to anyone with an internet.
25.10.2023Early Examples of Soviet Industrial Graphics
On display is an Interesting selection of soap wrappers from the collection of the National Library of Russia. The exhibition features the beautiful examples of Soviet industrial graphics dating back to 1921-34.
13.10.2023For technical reasons, a range of items are temporarily unavailable to visitors
For technical reasons, some items from the Newspaper Collection and the Printed Music and Recorded Sound Collection are temporarily unavailable to visitors in the Building on the Fontanka Embankment (at the address lit. A, house 36, Fontanka River Emb. , St. Petersburg), from February 3, 2023.
04.10.2023Academician-Arabist Ignaty Krachkovsky: his Collection of Oriental Manuscripts
Academician Ignaty Krachkovsky is the founder of the national Arabic school. His collection of Oriental manuscripts was donated to the library by his widow Vera Alexandrovna. The content of the collection reflects the collector's interests: Arabic literature, especially poetry, forms a significant part of it.
Digital Library
The Digital Library of the National Library of Russia is an open and generally accessible information resource. As of the beginning of 2019, the Digital Library includes over 650,000 scanned copies of books, magazines, newspapers, music publications, graphic materials, maps, plans, atlases, and audio recordings.
Voltaire Library
European cultural heritage is well represented in our collections. Among others, they are particularly rich in French material. One of the most important monuments of the eighteenth-century European culture is the Voltaire Library. The library consists of approximately 7000 volumes, of which one third contains the writer’s notes.
Online Exhibitions
Here you can find a presentation of several exhibitions held at the library. You can see examples of unique, rare and most precious items from the holdings of the National Library of Russia. The exhibitions show materials from the Manuscripts, Rare Books, Maps, Prints, and Russian Books Collections.
Reading Rooms
Access to the Library’s world-famous collections is through our reading rooms. Within the rooms, you can view items from our collections; get assistance from our qualified specialists; access electronic resources including our online catalogues, digital library, remote subscription resources; use our computers and Internet for free. Find details about the opening times and location of the reading rooms of the National Library of Russia as well as information about admission to them.
Tours round the Library
The Library offers a variety of guided tours. General tours includes visits to all places of interest in the Library. You will see how books are stored, get information about the history and architecture of the Library, learn more about its collections and the most famous curators. Visitors also may arrange special tours with focus on the Manuscripts Department, Voltaire's Library, or the Rare Books Department that houses the collections of West European and Russian early printed books, the Petrine collection, Aldine editions and Elzevier volumes.