The French section of the BWN allows you to explore the culture of France and French-speaking countries, including Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, and parts of Africa. The section provides access to French-language publications; its collections also include works in Berber, Occitan, and Malagasy languages.
The core of the collection consists of materials gathered by the former Library of the Institute of French Studies at the University of Warsaw (later the Library of Iberian, Italian and French Studies). Currently, it comprises approximately 45,000 books (including the renowned Bibliothèque de la Pléiade collection) and numerous periodicals. The origins of the collection date back to 1919, when, at the initiative of Professor Maurice Mann, the Seminar of French Studies was established at the University of Warsaw. This initiative also marked the beginning of the library.
The section also maintains the closed book collection of the former Library of the French Cultural Centre at the University of Warsaw. It is divided into the “old” (Ancien fonds) and “new” (Nouveau fonds) collections. The Ancien fonds consists of books inherited from the French Institute in Warsaw, which survived World War II in the basement of the Kazimierzowski Palace. The collection comprises over 6,000 volumes and includes works that are unique in Poland, such as Joseph Méry’s collection of fairy tales, Les Étoiles dernière feerie, published in Paris in 1849, and illustrated by the famous French graphic artist and caricaturist Grandville. The book contains 15 of his hand-coloured prints.
New books in the section’s collection
