Korf Room

INSIGHT INTO THE PAST

18871887
2010s2010s
 

"... The middle room houses the Russica Collection. It contains not only items on Russian history, but all pro- and anti- Russian materials in foreign languages. The room is now dedicated to Korf who was the Library Director from 1849 to 1861. A portrait of Baron Korf is the first thing that you see when you walk in the door. Modest Korf created this special department and still devotes himself to it, as an honorary member of the Library..."  

"By unremitting efforts ... he assembled here more than 30,000 volumes, including many works that no one even knew existed and which are not found anywhere else ..."

Strolling through the Imperial Public Library. 1872

 

HISTORICAL REFERENCE

Contrary to superstitious beliefs, 13 is a significant number for the National Library of Russia. Shelfmarks for the items from the Rossica Collection begin with '13'. This is due to the sequence number of the room in which Rossica was housed for many decades. The room was named for the Director of the Public Library Modest Korf who initiated the Rossica project.

Today this room has a different purpose: it is used for holding exhibitions at the historical building of the Library.

 

Photo Gallery

SEE OUR POPULAR RESOURCES

Fletcher G. Of the Russe common wealth...
Digitized Items from the Rossica Collection
Architects of the NLR.
Fragment with views of the Korf Room
Russica Collection Catalogue. Vol. 1
Rossica Collection