Top 10 Interesting Facts about The Royal Library

The Black Diamond Building of the Royal Danish Library Copenhagen Photo by Julian Herzog Wikimedia

Top 10 Interesting Facts about The Royal Library

Located in Copenhagen, the Royal library is the national library of Denmark and the university library of the University of Copenhagen. It is among the largest libraries in the world and the largest in the Nordic countries. It was founded in 1648 but later went on to merge with the State and University Library in Aarhus to form a combined national library.

The combined library organisation (the separate library locations in Copenhagen and Aarhus are maintained) is known as the Royal Danish Library or just the Royal Library. Let’s take a look at some of the mist interesting facts about it;

1.The library was founded by King Frederik III

A portrait of King Frederick III Photo sourced from Wikimedia

The library was founded in 1648 by King Frederik III, who contributed a comprehensive collection of European works. It was opened to the public in 1793 and it contains numerous historical treasures, and a copy of all works printed in Denmark since the 17th century are deposited there.

Thanks to extensive donations in the past, the library holds nearly all known Danish printed works back to and including the first Danish books, printed in 1482 by Johann Snell.The official name of the organization is the Royal Library, the National Library of Denmark and the Copenhagen University Library.

2.The Royal Library has five sites

The Royal Library has five sites including: 1.The main library at Slotsholmen, Copenhagen harbour (in the Black Diamond), covering all subjects and special collections; one at Norre Alle, 2.Faculty Library of Natural and Health Sciences; one at Gothersgade, central Copenhagen, 3.Faculty Library of Social Sciences; one at Amager

4.Faculty Library of Humanities; and, one in Studiestræde, central Copenhagen, 5.The Faculty of Law Library.The library is open to anyone above the age of 18 with a genuine need to use the collections. Special rules apply for use of rare and valuable items.

3.The Royal Library acquires Danish books through legal deposit

A building in the Royal Danish Library Garden in Copenhagen, Denmark Photo by Sigfrid Lundberg Wikimedia

The Royal Library acquires Danish books through legal deposit. The holdings include an almost complete collection of all Danish printed books back from 1482. In 2006, legal deposit was extended to electronic publications and now the library harvests four electronic copies of the Danish Internet each year. Danish books printed before 1900 are digitized on demand and made freely available to the public.

As the National library, it has vast collections of digital materials which are relevant for scholars in many fields. The library also holds a large and significant collection of old foreign scholarly and scientific literature, including precious books of high value and of importance for book history, including a rare copy of the Gutenberg Bible.

4.The library has had several librarians over the years

The library has had several librarians over the years including; first librarian Marcus Meibom, followed by 1663-1671 by Peder Griffenfeld.Later librarians included J. H. Schlegel, Jon Erichsen, Daniel Gotthilf Moldenhawer (1787-1823 notorious for stealing numerous books to enrich the library collections) and Chr. Bruun.

Since 1900 the former librarians are H.O. Lange (1901-1924), Carl S. Petersen (1924-1943), Svend Dahl (1943-1952), Palle Birkelund (1952-1982), Torkil Olsen (1982-1986), Erland Kolding Nielsen (1986-2017), followed by the present Director General Svend Larsen.

5.The Library contains several items

The Library contains several items including; Books, journals, newspapers, pamphlets and corporate publications, manuscripts and archives, maps, prints and photographs, music scores, documentation of folkways and popular traditions, four annual electronic copies of the Danish Internet by legal deposit.

As of 2017, there Royal Library had 36,975,069 physical units and 2,438,978 electronic titles. The online catalogue, in combination with the reading room, is still the patron’s most direct form of access to the library’s collections.The members are 32,196 active users. The annual budget: 394M Danish Kroner (58M US Dollars), including building expenses and maintenance.

6.The library has experienced some of the largest book thefts in Denmark’s history

Between 1968 and 1978, the library saw one of the largest book thefts in Denmark’s history. 3,200 books and document worth up to $50 million USD were stolen by an employee from the library.The theft remained undetected until 1975. Between 1998 and 2002, the thief succeeded in selling books worth about $2 million at various auctions.

The case was finally solved in September 2003, after a stolen book had surfaced at Christie’s auction house in London. The thief, a director of the library’s oriental department named Frede Møller-Kristensen, had died in January 2003. His family then became careless in selling the remaining books.

However only 1,500 books were recovered and the family members of the thief sentenced to prison for up to 2years. 

7.The library has two buildings 

The Black Diamond Building of the Royal Danish Library Copenhagen Photo by Julian Herzog Wikimedia

The library has two buildings ; The old building of the Slotsholmen site was built in 1906 by Hans Jørgen Holm. The central hall is a copy of Charlemagne’s Palace chapel in the Aachen Cathedral. The building is still being used by the library.

The new building adjacent to the old one was opened at Slotsholmen, known as the Black Diamond. The Black Diamond building was designed by Danish architects schmidt hammer lassen. Named for its outside cover of black marble and glass, the Black Diamond building houses a concert hall in addition to the library.

8.The Black Diamond is formed by two black cubes

The Black Diamond is formed by two black cubes that are slightly tilted over the street. In between, there is an eight-storey atrium whose walls are white and wave-shaped, with a couple of transversal corridors that link both sides, and balconies on every floor.

The atrium’s exterior wall is made of glass; so, you can see the sea; and, on the opposite shore, you can see Christianshavn’s luxury buildings.It is among the most decorated buildings in Denmark and among the best attractions here. 

9.The Black diamond is connected to the old building with three bridges

Three bridges connect the Black Diamond with the old part of the Royal Library; those three bridges (two small ones for internal transport and a big one with the circulation desk) go over the road. At the ceiling of the big bridge, there is a huge painting by Danish painter Per Kirkeby.

The extension marks a radical shift from traditional library structure and accommodates a range of cultural fabs. The building materials used are few – stone, steel, glass, wood and concrete. Columns and walls are smooth, cast on site in silk matt, coloured concrete. 

10.The Royal Library serves as the national deposit

The Royal Library serves as the national deposit for all works published in Denmark or outside of Denmark on the subjects of Denmark or Danes and it is currently an incredibly diverse collection containing more than 200,000 items, including not only books and manuscripts, but also music, sound recordings, insignia, medals and coins. 

Open and essentially democratic, the building includes a café, bookshop, exhibition room, restaurant, scientific and literary institutions, as well as a roof terrace and a 600-seat hall for concerts, theatrical performances and conferences.