Emmanuel Macron inaugurates renovated National library of France on it's 300th anniversary

French President Emmanuel Macron inaugurated the newly refurbished historic National Library of France (BNF) in Paris, September 28, 2021. The Richelieu site of the National Library of France (BNF) is 300-years-old and will be re-opened for the public after undergoing renovation for 10 years. 

The ten-year project was completed earlier this week. The renovation project was aimed at renovating the historic structure, preserving its uniqueness and making the monument strong up to safety and accessibility standards.

French President inaugurates 300-year-old National Library of France

The monument has been given a revamped look to preserve the historic collections. In a tweet, the French President shared the pictures from his visit and wrote, “After 10 years of renovation, the National Library of France (BnF) Richelieu will soon open its doors to the public. For 300 years, it has been a temple for the French language, literature and knowledge. Thanks to this project, it will remain a living place, in tune with the world.” The renovation project dates back to the end of the 1990s and after the renovation, more than 20 million documents have been conserved in the new BNF library.
 

Visiting the Richelieu site of the National Library of France, just restored, the president praised a place of history, contributing to “the art of being French”.

During his visit to the historic site of the BNF, which is celebrating its 300th anniversary and the completion of a decade of restoration work, Emmanuel Macron spoke about France's great legacy of language and art. In front of 200 visitors assembled in the reading room, he said, on Wednesday, "When we are frequently asking about the question of our identity in our political discussions, I have a firm view that France was formed by the State and the language. Our identity has never been established on shrinking, neither on first names nor on forms of conflict," as reported by Archyde. In his speech, the French President had also set the stage for his campaign for the upcoming elections to retain power.

As reported by news outlet Archyde, he further added, France has always written its own world history, and has always conceived of itself as universal.

Image: Twitter/ @EmmanuelMacron