National Library of Spain

The Biblioteca Nacional de España (National Library of Spain) is a major public library, the largest in Spain. It is located in Madrid, on the Paseo de Recoletos.

The library was founded by King Philip V in 1712 as the Palace Public Library (Biblioteca Pública de Palacio). The Royal Letters Patent that he granted, the predecessor of the current legal deposit requirement, made it mandatory for printers to submit a copy of every book printed in Spain to the library. In 1836, the library's status as Crown property was revoked and ownership was transferred to the Ministry of Governance (Ministerio de la Gobernación). At the same time, it was renamed the Biblioteca Nacional.

More information on the Wikipedia page