When the directors of ten European national libraries met for the first time in 1987 to lay the foundations for what would become CENL, Denmark was right there at the table. Today, The Royal Danish Library continues that shared mission: preserving the past, collecting the present and enriching the future.

The Royal Danish Library is a cornerstone of Danish democratic society. In an age of misinformation, polarization, and rapid information flows, it provides trusted access to knowledge, cultural heritage, and cultural experiences for thousands of users, visitors, and partners across the country.

The collection includes the expected masterpieces—medieval manuscripts, love letters of philosophers, and the diaries of arctic explorers—but also the more mundane: newspapers, photo albums, promo leaflets, posters, computer games and the website of the local handball club. Put together, it’s a living time capsule of Danish society.

Unlike most national libraries, the Royal Danish Library also serves as Denmark’s largest university library. In practice, that means we don’t just preserve the past—we actively fuel the present—by providing academic literature to students and researchers.

In short, we help you find what you’re looking for. And we strive to inspire you to discover things you didn’t even know you were searching for.

Fun Facts

• In 1834, famous writer, Hans Christian Andersen, applied for a job at the library—and was turned down. His application is still here, quietly preserved, proving that even fairy-tale authors don’t always get a happy ending.
• Most library cabinets hold books. In Georg Brandes’ room at the Royal Danish Library in Copenhagen, one of them holds something far more unusual: an urn containing the supposed ashes of the celebrated writer and literary critic Georg Brandes himself. A fitting resting place for one of Denmark’s most influential intellectuals.
• The Royal Danish Library isn’t just in Copenhagen. As both Denmark’s national library and a university library, it has locations across the country, including Aarhus, Herning, Roskilde, and Nakskov.

Read more on the national library’s page on CENL.