Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Richelieu (National Library of France, Richelieu) – Paris

A visit to the newly reopened Richelieu site of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, specifically its museum. The impressive interiors and collection don’t quite make up for the unintuitive visitor experience.

The Bibliothèque Nationale de France

As I mentioned in a previous review, I lived in Paris for a while, but didn’t quite make it to all the cultural institutions I wanted to.  One such place which I knew I wanted to see was the Bibliothèque Nationale de France (BNF).  Or rather, one of its sites.  Because the BNF has followed the trend of proliferating branches, and has several.  There is another large site in Paris, which I had been to before.  This is the BNF François Mitterrand (every French President tries to leave a mark on the cultural landscape), and is a 1990s site which has reading rooms, storage, exhibition spaces and the like.  There are a couple of secondary sites also in Paris, and another in Avignon specialising in performing arts materials.

But the one that I wanted to see was the BNF Richelieu.  It has only recently reopened to the public after extensive renovations lasting over a decade.  And part of that project involved the creation of a museum.  The building itself is very historic, dating to the 17th Century and with the first library on site from the 18th Century.  I knew that the museum would be a good way to get a glimpse inside, as well as seeing books, manuscripts and objects from the BNF’s extensive collection.  Plus it was relatively close to our hotel.  So on a sunny afternoon when we might otherwise have been in a café somewhere, we dutifully headed off to get our bibliophile’s fill.

The Museum Of The Bibliothèque Nationale De France

I don’t know if it’s just because we came so soon after the reopening, but something about the experience of visiting the museum seemed off.  And I don’t think it’s a language thing because I speak French.  It was just a little clunky from the outset.  We had to go through security first in an outdoor cubicle thing (fine), then figure out to join the ticket queue rather than the readers’ queue (took ages), then go off and find the museum.  It’s not well sign-posted, but we found the entrance OK.

We walked around the galleries, which turned out to be a dead end so we doubled back on ourselves and arrived back at the entrance.  “Wait a minute,” I thought to myself, “isn’t it weird that this is a library museum and we have only seen antiquities, not a single book?  How disappointing and frankly a bit odd.”  Even then it took us a moment to realise that there were multiple museum spaces.  In the end we found three, which I think was all of them.  But without clear signage and no plan handed out at the ticket desk, it’s quite a poor experience.

Coming back to the language thing, the top line (ie. thematic or scene setting) texts tended to offered in English more often than the detailed ones.  Just bear this in mind if you’re thinking of going and vous ne parlez pas français.

Enough Griping, What Did You See?

Ok fair point, I was a bit tired that afternoon and slightly regretted not opting for an outdoor glass of wine instead, so might have had a more positive experience on a different day.  What I said about the lack of signage and maps stands though.  Anyway…

As you have already read above, the first set of rooms contains mostly antiquities.  A lot come from the French Royal Collection (which for Revolutionary reasons didn’t remain in royal hands, unlike the UK, for instance).  There was also a significant 19th Century top up in the form of a donation by the duc de Luynes.  There are vases, sculptures, coins and more, all in lovely historic rooms (the medallion/coin room is particularly atmospheric.  Plus there are also good vantage points over the main reading room below.

The second main space focuses on manuscripts and medieval objects. With also a brief foray towards the end into more modern books and works on paper.  It’s an impressive space, and starts to feel more like a library museum at this stage.  Following a covered catwalk, you reach a circular gallery which displays works and objects related to theatrical productions.  Then you figure out how to get back to the exit and take your leave, potentially via the café.

Scattered around the BNF Richelieu are various reading rooms, which you can peer at while you try to locate the museum spaces.  Overall I found it relatively interesting, but best perhaps for first time readers at the library who want to stretch their legs.  Or those with a particular interest in the history of the BNF’s Richelieu site or who want to see a temporary exhibition.  Not really recommended for casual visitors to Paris as there are so many other cultural institutions to choose from.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 3/5