Queriniana Library
Queriniana LibraryVia Mazzini, 1, 25121 Brescia BSqueriniana.comune.brescia.it/
Commissioned in 1747 by Cardinal Angelo Maria Querini, the Queriniana Library is one of the cultural hearts of Brescia.
Established with the goal of making knowledge available to the public - a revolutionary idea for the time - it became one of the most prestigious libraries in Italy. And it has never lost its enlightened spirit.
LIBRARY
Manuscripts, incunabula, 16th century books: at the Queriniana, time is read, leafed through and preserved. But above all, it’s shared. Because this isn’t just a place for scholars, it’s part of the whole city’s heritage.
Since 1750, when it opened to the public, the Queriniana has seen centuries, reforms, revolutions and a sea of books. With the arrival of the 18th and 19th centuries, it became richer thanks to donations, and in 1797, with the suppression of religious orders, it became the city's “National Library”. A shelter for saved and found books.
Today it’s a living network. It’s much more than a library: it’s the heart of the Brescia Urban Library System. A network that pulsates in every neighbourhood, with 8 area libraries, 2 specialist libraries, 1 library for teenagers, 1 newspaper library, 1 multimedia library, 3 reading rooms.
In all, 600,000 volumes, 150,000 of which are ancient, with over 10,000 manuscripts. Staggering numbers, yes, but above all a living resource, available to those who want to seek, study, discover.
The Queriniana isn’t a monument, but a promise: culture never stops talking.
