![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj22Uuh72awybNLwMSxnveAFbRhHelH_yaEGjjBBavTus5f_iZY01NppZlNNkashk4vLignIJsKR10WH2ieeLNjuyjoi845qXayfgI9eAedyT3s0N_9i7_W1D_4rI4Bnaj6CSafbvpIUU4/s1600/nationallibraryfrance.jpg)
You aren't supposed to take pictures in the library, but I managed to get two before being stopped by a French ninja librarian.
Founded in Charles V in 1368 at the Louvre, it was opened to the public in 1692. Woot!
By 1925 it had 4,050,000 volumes and 11,000 manuscripts.
It's a very impressive space, particularly the Richelieu site, as official photos reveal: