A century-old public library that has moved, renamed and reinvented itself repeatedly, without ever losing its readers.
At a glance
Founded in Moscow in 1919, the Nekrasov Library now holds more than two million items in over a hundred languages. It serves the city as a public research and lending library, its collections weighted heavily toward art and rare editions. The institution takes its name from the poet Nikolay Nekrasov, honoured in 1946.
History
By 1941 the library’s holdings had grown to nearly 194,000 volumes, serving almost 44,000 readers. War changed its role. During the Second World War it supported veterans and helped organise mobile libraries sent to the front. In 1946, marking the 125th anniversary of Nekrasov’s birth, the government gave the library his name. It relocated in 1955 to the historic Saltykova estate on Bolshaya Bronnaya street, and again in 2002 to Baumanskaya street. A 2006 order from the Moscow Department of Culture renamed it once more, as the Nekrasov Central Universal Scientific Library.
What you see
The article gives no architectural description of the current Baumanskaya street building. What is documented is the library’s earlier home in the estate of A. S. Saltykova on Bolshaya Bronnaya, occupied from 1955. Today’s premises house more than ten departments, among them restoration and conservation, and reading promotion. Shelving for reproductions, industrial graphics, ex-libris and phillumeny collections gives the interior a specialist, archival character rather than a purely architectural one.
Cultural significance
By the 1970s a substantial art literature fund, boosted by gifts from Moscow collectors, led to a dedicated art department. The library also hosts book-history projects: Korney Chukovsky’s 1920s “Questionnaire about Nekrasov” gathered writers’ views on the poet’s legacy. In 2017 the digitisation initiative “Electronekrasovka” launched, extending the collection online. The institution now runs over 500 public events annually and supports bookcrossing exchanges across the city.
Key facts
- Founded: 1919
- Named for poet Nikolay Nekrasov in 1946
- Current location: Baumanskaya street 58/25, building 14, Moscow (since 2002)
- Collection: over 2 million items in 100+ languages
- Affiliate points at “Oceania” and “Vodny” shopping centres
Practical information & getting there
The main building sits on Baumanskaya street. Two affiliate delivery points offer easier access: one in the “Oceania” centre near Slavyansky Bulvar metro station, another in the “Vodny” mall near Vodny Stadion metro station. Both let you sign up for a library card, borrow or return books, and browse new titles without visiting the main site. Check the official website before travelling, since branch hours can vary.
Sources & resources
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