BIBLIOTECA REGELUI FERDINAND DE LA PALATUL COTROCENI

Abstract

The Cotroceni Palace was the permanent residence of the princely and then royal family Ferdinand and Marie. From the beginning of construction, the library was furnished in the French Henry IInd style and paneled in elm wood. Over time, the interior aspect of the library has not changed radically, housing a rich collection of books, as can be seen from the inventories made within this royal residence in the years 1930, 1938 and 1948. Prince and later King Ferdinand was anaccomplished book lover, passionate about botany, which he dealt with with the skill of a specialist, spending a lot of the free time he had at his disposal, in the library, to arrange his herbariumconstitutedas a result of his travels through the mountains, to Sinaia, on the Danube or after walks through the parks of the royal residences. After the death of King Ferdinand, the library continued to be used by Queen Marie, and later, after her death (1938) and then after the forced abdication of King Mihai and the establishment of the communist regime, the Cotroceni Palace suffered great destruction and the alienation of the heritage, including books from the royal library. The transformation of the Cotroceni Palace into the Palace of the Pioneers caused the interventions to change the interior appearance of the sumptuous royal halls, the library retaining its appearance from the royal period, but becoming a space for the political-ideological training of students and young people. After the restoration of the palace and the establishment of the Cotroceni National Museum, the library became part of the permanent exhibition, a space of spirituality, which exudes an atmosphere of sobriety that can only be found in the offices of great researchers and lovers of science.