National Library of Chile

The National Library of Chile

The Santiago audio-guided tour presents you with the imposing building of the National Library of Chile, which one could easily take for a museum of fine arts. It is one of the first institutions created by the young Republic, in 1813.

A bibliographic treasure

Created from the beginnings of the Republic, the library preserves a heritage of great richness. Its Medina room, which gathers more than thirty-five thousand titles, constitutes the most precious collection of the country and one of the most important collections of colonial texts. The institution also possesses twenty-nine incunabula, those works printed before the sixteenth century, which are among the oldest books preserved in Chile.

What there is to see

Behind its monumental façade, the library reveals richly decorated rooms that are worth the visit. Access is free, and one can enter to admire its interior architecture and the studious atmosphere of its reading rooms. It is a high place of the culture and the written memory of Chile.

Practical information

The National Library of Chile is on the Alameda, in the centre of Santiago. Access is free, according to the opening hours of the institution, liable to vary; access is on the level.

When was the National Library of Chile created?

In 1813, one of the first institutions of the young Republic of Chile.

What is the Medina room?

The most precious bibliographic collection of the country, with more than thirty-five thousand titles and important collections of colonial texts.