National and University Library in Zagreb (NSK) Nacionalna i sveučilišna knjižnica u Zagrebu

Overview

The National and University Library in Zagreb (Croatian: Nacionalna i sveučilišna knjižnica u Zagrebu; NSK) is the national library of Croatia and the central library of the University of Zagreb. It is Croatia's largest library, with nearly 3.7 million items, and serves as the central point of the Croatian national library system. Since 1995, the NSK has been housed in a purpose-built modernist building – the so-called "glass cube" – in central Zagreb, designed by architects Marijan Hržić, Davor Mance, Zvonimir Krznarić, and Velimir Neidhardt.

History and Founding

The NSK was established in 1607 when the Jesuit order founded a grammar school in Zagreb's Upper Town and established an accompanying library. In 1669, the Jesuit College was granted academic status by King Leopold I, becoming Academia Zagrabiensis, forerunner of the University of Zagreb. The library grew throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, receiving important bequests including 757 volumes and 50 manuscripts from clergyman Adam Baltazar Krčelić in 1777. Legal deposit regulations extended to Croatia and Slavonia in 1837, and the library formally assumed its dual national and university character. In 1874, with the founding of the University of Zagreb, the library merged with holdings from the Grammar Academy and the National Museum to form the University Library. The current building opened on May 28, 1995, as part of Croatia's independence anniversary celebrations.

Collections and Holdings

The NSK's special collections are among Croatia's greatest cultural treasures, encompassing incunabula, old and rare books, codices, manuscripts, and letters; drawings, prints, and print portfolios; music manuscripts, printed music, and sound recordings including nearly 17,000 printed music scores and more than 23,600 gramophone records; and old and manuscript maps. The Print Collection, established as a separate unit in 1919, is the oldest and largest print collection in Croatia. Holdings include works by the sixteenth-century artist Andrija Medulić and architectural drawings by Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. The NSK has collected materials through legal deposit since 1816 and actively digitizes its collections.

Notable Materials Related to Journalism and Media

The NSK's collections include historical Croatian newspapers and periodicals preserved through legal deposit, making it a key repository for the history of the Croatian press from the nineteenth century onward. The library's digital collections provide online access to digitized newspapers, journals, and other periodicals.

Access and Usage

The library is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Special collections are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Membership is available through weekly, monthly, and daily passes. The NSK's digital collections are freely accessible online.