State Library of Victoria description and photos - Australia: Melbourne (Topic)

State Library of Victoria description and photos - Australia: Melbourne. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is State Library of Victoria.

Photo and description

The State Library of Victoria is the largest library in the state of Victoria, with over 1.5 million books and 16,000 periodicals in storage! Unsurprisingly, the building, located in Melbourne, spans an entire block near the city center. Among the library's main treasures are the diaries of Captain James Cook.

Just two decades after the founding of Melbourne, it was decided to build a library - especially the then Lieutenant Governor of Victoria, Charles La Trobe, insisted on this. The famous architect Joseph Reed was chosen, who later built the Royal Exhibition Center and Melbourne Central Hall.

On July 3, 1854, the foundation stone of the future library was laid. Construction lasted 2 years, and already in 1856 the library was opened. The first book collection consisted of 3800 volumes, but by 1861 it had been expanded to 22 thousand books. Together with the library, the building houses the National Gallery of Victoria and the Melbourne Museum. The gallery moved to a separate building only in the 1960s, and the museum in the 1990s.

Next to the main entrance of the library, there is a small park with a number of statues and monuments, including the statue of Saint George slaying the dragon, and the statue of Joan of Arc, erected in 1907. Today this small park is a favorite vacation spot for students of the nearby Technological University.

The library building itself was built in the style of classicism. Its domed reading room, opened in 1913, can seat up to 500 readers. The diameter of the octagonal hall is 34.75 meters. When it opened, it was the largest reading room in the world.

From 1990 to 2004, the library building underwent a variety of restoration work, costing the state government A $ 200 million. A number of temporary exhibition areas were built here, making the library today one of the largest exhibition pavilions in the world.

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Topic: State Library of Victoria description and photos - Australia: Melbourne.