National Library of Portugal

National Library of Portugal

The National Library of Portugal descends from the Royal Public Library of the Court, founded by royal charter on 29 February 1796 around the library of the Royal Board of Censorship and housed in the Western Tower of the Terreiro do Paço. The first legal deposit law, of 1805, and above all the dissolution of the religious orders in 1834 swelled the collection with the libraries of numerous monasteries and convents, prompting a move to the former Convent of São Francisco, in Chiado, where what was then the National Library of Lisbon remained for more than 130 years. The present building, at Campo Grande, was designed by the architect Porfírio Pardal Monteiro; work began in 1958 and the library moved there in 1969. It is the largest library in Portugal and its mission is to collect, process and preserve Portugal's documentary heritage, acting as the national bibliographic agency responsible for legal deposit. It holds collections from every period, including rare books, maps, prints and drawings, music and an archive of personal papers, and makes many works available through the National Digital Library. The reading rooms are reserved for readers over 18 with a reader's card, but the exhibitions and displays, with free admission, are open to all: until 14 February 2027 it is showing "O Grande Teatro da Guerra", on Portugal and Spain in European cartography from 1701 to 1715.

Located at: Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal
Address: Campo Grande, 83, 1749-081 Lisboa
Opening hours: Reference area and exhibitions: Monday to Friday 09:30-19:30, Saturday 09:30-17:30 (closed on Sundays); in summer (mid-July to mid-September) Monday to Friday 09:30-17:30, closed on Saturdays
Phone: +351 217 982 000
Coordinates: 38.751105, -9.152584
Buses: 701, 736, 738, 783, 798, 46B, 731, 735, 755, 732
Metro: Cidade Universitária (Yellow), Entre Campos (Yellow)
Train: Cintura Line, Entrecampos Station
Opened: 1796 (230 years)