The Municipal Library of Ajaccio is in the north wing of the Palais Fesch, a block of simple, elongated design lit on both sides.
It was built at the beginning of the nineteenth century when Lucien Bonaparte, Interior Minister of the French government at the time, had 12,000 volumes sent to Corsica from Parisian religious congregations and the royal residences of Meudon and Marly. This nucleus, primarily comprising history books but also narrative and theological texts, was temporarily located in the old Jesuit monastery in Ajaccio. After various other moves and further donations, including the largest – 8,000 volumes of theology and history from Cardinal Fesch – the enormously expanded library holdings were relocated to the north wing of Palais Fesch, officially inaugurated on 22 May 1865.
The work in this part of the palazzo took place between 1858 and 1862 and was led by architects Jean Caseneuve and Jêrome Maglioli. At first, the museum and the library shared an entrance in common, in part because this block was to be an integral part of the museum itself. It was in fact intended to house large–format paintings and this is why it was given large windows at the upper part of the room on the upper floor. These windows then turned out to be perfectly suited to providing the necessary light to the reading room, thirty metres in length and fitted with walnut shelving designed by Caseneuve.
Municipal Library
Rue Cardinal Fesch 50
Ajaccio
The library is open Monday through Friday 9 AM to 12 PM and 2 PM to 5 PM
Free admission
http://www.bibliotheque.ajaccio.fr/opacwebaloes/index.aspx?IdPage=72