Bibliothèque nationale de France

The Bibliothèque nationale de France is the National Library of France in Paris. 

History
The National Library of France was founded at the Louvre by Charles V in 1368. It grew under Louis XIV and opened to the public in 1692. 

Following a series of regime changes in France, it became the Imperial National Library and in 1868 it moved to new buildings on the Rue de Richelieu. In 1896, the library was the largest collection of books in the world.

In 1988, President François Mitterrand agreed to build a new modern library. It now contains more than twenty million volumes.

Manuscripts 
The library has 5,000 Greek manuscripts and the Jikji (the oldest printed document with movable type).unesco.org

References

 Riding, Alan.  "France Detects a Cultural Threat in Google," New York Times. April 11, 2005.

Category:Buildings and structures in Paris
Category:National libraries in Europe
Category:Organizations based in Paris