Raczyński Library
The Raczyński Library (Biblioteka Raczyńskich w Poznaniu) is a public library in Poznań, Poland. It was founded by Count Edward Raczyński and built between 1822 and 1828 with support from the Edward Raczyński Foundation. The neoclassical building features a colonnade like the eastern façade of the Louvre, and in front stands Hygieia's Fountain, a statue by Albert Wolff from 1841, at Liberty Square.
In World War II the Nazis destroyed the building with explosives and a fire, destroying about 90% of the books, though some special collections looted earlier survived. The library was rebuilt in 1953 according to a plan by Janina Czarnecka.
By 1994 the library held around 252,000 books. Between 2010 and 2013 a new wing was added to better display the collections, and it opened on July 1, 2013. The new wing covers about 11,000 square metres and was partly funded by the European Union.
The current director is Anna Gruszecka. The library also oversees museums dedicated to writers Henryk Sienkiewicz, Kazimiera Iłłakowiczówna, and Józef Ignacy Kraszewski.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 12:27 (CET).