Royal Portuguese Reading Room

The library was designed by architect Rafaelda Silvae Castro and built between 1880 and 1887. The origin of the National Library of Brazil is very interesting. Its first collections include books, manuscripts, prints, maps, coins and medals, etc., which originated from the Portuguese court and were brought by the Portuguese royal family when they fled to Brazil. It was not until Brazil broke away from Portuguese colonization that it was officially reorganized into the National Library of Brazil. It is the largest Portuguese library in Portugal overseas, with 350,000 Portuguese books. In addition to a large collection of precious Portuguese books, the National Library of Brazil is famous for its Neo-Manueline architectural style, with intricately carved doors, giant bookshelves extending to the ceiling, elegant staircases, and transparent stained glass ceilings , being in it, people seem to return to the Renaissance period hundreds of years ago.