The Quieter Attractions: Three Paris Libraries to Visit

24 July 2007 by Paul Boswell    5210  
The Quieter Attractions: Three Paris Libraries to Visit
  Like in any big city, a weary traveler might be hard-pressed to find a place to take a load of his or her legs in Paris. Sure, you’ve always got your hotel room or apartment, but why stay there all day? So you head over to the Champ de Mars to find some shady bench where you can read or simply enjoy the day. Unfortunately, you chose a sweltering, tourist-filled day in July when the fumes from the tour buses offend your nose and the fact that you have heard every language but French in the past half-hour begins to offend your ears. Moreover, that shady bench means you are under perfectly-pruned trees, which means pigeons, which certainly leaves open the possibility that one of them might leave you a big surprise in your open book – a possibility that, in this case, is actualized. Frustrated, you pull out another book and head to a café, hoping a café crème might do the trick. However, the woman next to you is talking so loudly that you can’t help but read the same line over and over again, so once again you find yourself on the street (and yes, this very same sequence actually occurred to me). What to do?   Never fear, Paris offers a pantheon of hangout spots that double as worthwhile attractions in and of themselves. At these bibliothèques, feel free to camp out as long as you like in order to avoid the busy bustle of Paris outside as well as to check out their marvelous architecture and grand design. At most of these locations, access can be granted for free.   BIBLIOTHÈQUE MAZARINE   The Mazarine is without doubt the grandest and most lavishly decorated of the libraries here reviewed, and it also advertises itself as the oldest public library in France. Once the personal library of Cardinal Mazarin (advisor to Louis XIV and default ruler of France after the demise of Richelieu), it opened as a public library in 1643. It was moved to the Collège des Quatre-Nations during its construction from 1662-1682, where it occupied – and continues to occupy – the left wing. Today, the library and the building of the former Collège now form the principal building of the Institute de France, which is itself the home of the prestigious Academie Française.   As far as its collections, the library holds over 4,500 manuscripts and 2,000 incunabula, including a Gutenberg bible (called the Mazarine Bible). Other strengths include 16th and 17th century European history, religious history, and the history of the printed book; much of its 500,000 printed holdings were published before 1801. At most museums around the world ancient books are confined inside of glass cases and put on exhibition, and although the Mazarine has a share of its most ancient books in cases on display, here one can simply fill out a request card and have a slightly younger (say, 17th century) book delivered to your table for your perusal. If libraries could receive Michelin stars, this would certainly have 3.   You’ll need a reader’s card, and they come in three varieties: The laissez-passer is free, non-renewable in the year after it is used and valid for two consecutive days. The carte provisoire will set you back 7.50 Euros but is good for 10 days in a year, and the carte anuelle at 15 Euros is valid for a year.   Once you get to the Institut de France and its gilded dome, stand outside for a bit and look around; unlike all those tourists frequenting the bouquinistes and the Pont des Arts, you actually get to go inside this building, the home of the French literati. To the left of the giant portico is an archway that leads into a courtyard, and once in the archway you’ll find the visitor’s office on your left. Go in and ask the receptionist for a laissez-passer for the Bibliothèque Mazarine and hand him or her your passport. He or she will direct you to the staircase on the left of the courtyard where you will be greeted by a bust of the Cardinal himself. Up the staircase and on the third floor you will find the entry to the library (marked with BIBLIOTHECA) where you will once again need to brandish your passport and explain your desire to obtain a laissez-passer. This desk assistant will point you to another situated straight across the reading room after taking a sharp right turn from the entryway. Furnish this third assistant with your passport and an ID photo and he or she will set you up with a card and explain to you how to use the library. Take your card to the other desk on your left to obtain a desk number, and you’re set!   Before settling in to your comfortable niche, take a stroll along the grand, L-shaped reading room. Underneath each of the hundred or so wooden columns you’ll find a marble bust, some of which date from antiquity while others are French neoclassical renderings (as well as some which are neither, such as the bust of Benjamin Franklin). Towards the back you’ll find display cases that house exhibits and some of the library’s most prized holdings, including some truly magnificently bound bibles. Look for the secret door that is hidden among the velvet-draped shelves, and don’t forget to bring your laptop as the Mazarine offers free WiFi!
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • ALREADY SUBSCRIBED?
Previous Article Frustration a la Francaise
Next Article Madame Curie

By Paul Boswell