National Library of Poland, main building
Al. Niepodległości 213
02-086 Warsaw
Poland
+48 22 608 22 33
Dr Tomasz Makowski
Main Building: Stanisław Fijałkowski
The National Library buildings are currently under reconstruction; The new reading rooms have been designed by Tomasz Konior from KONIOR Studio and SOKKA consortium.
Palace of Commonwealth building: Tylman van Gameren (17th century)
1928
The National Library of Poland was one of the first national libraries in Europe. The original programme of its activities and mission was published in 1732 and the library was opened to public in 1747. In 1780 the Polish Parliament granted it the right to receive a legal deposit of every publication from Polish territory.
Today the NLP acts as the central library of the country with its mission being to protect national heritage preserved in the form of handwritten, printed, electronic, recorded sound and audiovisual documents. It also acts as the administrator of the nationwide network of libraries (and the common catalogue) which in 2024 consisted of more than 800 libraries.
In 2024 the NLP reopened its second location – the Palace of the Commonwealth. The Palace has become home to the NLP’s permanent exhibition which features treasures from Polish and global written heritage.
July and August saw the National Library of Poland joining the Warsaw’s Summer in the city project. In a series of free-of-charge educational and art workshops, the Palace of Commonwealth was visited by almost 400 children and the youth from Warsaw schools.
