Culture, Libraries and Museums

Most provincial cities in France have municipal libraries and museums. The largest concentration of such facilities is, however, in Paris. Major libraries in Paris include the Bibliotheque Nationale, with more than 9 million books, and the libraries of the Universities of Paris. The Louvre, also in Paris, contains one of the largest and most important art collections in the world. Other Parisian museums of note include the Musee Nationale d’Art Moderne in the Centre National d’Art et de Culture Georges Pompidou; the Musee d’Orsay, and the Musee Picasso. Many of the great masterpieces of French architecture, such as churches, cathedrals, castles, and chateaux, are maintained as national monuments.