Don State Public Library (russian: Донская государственная публичная библиотека) is the main public library of

Rostov Oblast Rostov Oblast ( rus, Росто́вская о́бласть, r=Rostovskaya oblast, p=rɐˈstofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the Southern Federal District. The oblast has an area of and a populati ...

, and is situated in the city of

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East Eu ...

. It was established in 1886 and is the oldest library in Southern Russia. In the Soviet period it was known as the Karl Marx Rostov-on-Don State Scientific Library (russian: Ростовская государственная научная библиотека имени К. Маркса). It is an important cultural center of the city, hosting numerous art festivals and exhibitions.

History

Rostov-on-Don Public Library, the first major library in the city, was opened on 7 January 1886. The new library consisted of 3,000 books, purchased by the city administration from a private library for the sum of 5,000 rubles. Until 1894, the library was housed in various private houses on

Bolshaya Sadovaya Street Bolshaya (Russian language for "big") may refer to: * Bolshaya, Arkhangelsk, a village * Bolshaya chistka, "Great Purge", the 1936–1938 Soviet purge * Bolshaya Izhora, an urban locality in the Lomonosovsky District of Leningrad Oblast * Bolshay ...

. From 1921 to 1994 the library was located in Velikanova House on . In 1974, the construction of a new library building on Pushkinskaya Street began. It was designed by architect and engineer Boris Sidelkovsky. The construction was severely delayed over the next 20 years and was finished only in 1994. On 25 May 1994 the library moved into its new premises. Three months later, in September, the library invited Russian writer

Alexander Solzhenitsyn Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn. (11 December 1918 – 3 August 2008) was a Russian novelist. One of the most famous Soviet dissidents, Solzhenitsyn was an outspoken critic of communism and helped to raise global awareness of political repress ...

to visit and meet readers. In May 2010, Don State Public Library hosted a conference of Russian Wikipedians.

References

{{Authority control 1886 establishments in the Russian Empire Buildings and structures in Rostov-on-Don Libraries in Russia Education in Rostov-on-Don