National Library of Montevideo

On August 4, 1815, the priest Antonio Damaso Laerreñaga sent a letter to the Council, where he wrote about the need for a public library. Laerreñaga himself volunteered to take care of the organization of the work, but asked for a building that would meet the necessary requirements. On August 12, 1815, the order to establish the library was issued.

In 1964, the library was given a new building.

The current building of the National Library was designed by architect Luis Crespi. The building is built in neoclassical style, has five floors and a basement with a total area of about 4000 square meters.

The modern collection of the library contains about 900,000 volumes, including valuable documentary monuments of Uruguayan literature, collections of ancient maps, photographs and engravings.