The BNF.

The new National Library v. old.

This is the reading room at the BNF on rue Richelieu .
Its origins go back to the royal collection dating back to 1368. By 1896 it housed the largest collection of books in the world. In the 1980's President Mitterrand wanted to expand the library and make it modern and accessible. A new series of buildings were built on the other side of the seine river. The new buildings have won all kinds of awards and are made to look like giant open books. Meh. . . . . give me the old stuff.