Bibliothèque polonaise de Paris

About the museum

The Bibliothèque polonaise was founded in 1838 by Polish exiles who had arrived in France after the failure of the November Uprising of 1830–1831, in the context of the Great Emigration. It is linked to the Polish Historical and Literary Society, whose origins go back to a literary society created in Paris in 1832.

In the mid-19th century it moved into a 17th-century building at 6 quai d’Orléans on the Île Saint-Louis. Today this house accommodates three museums: the Adam Mickiewicz Museum, founded in 1903 by Władysław Mickiewicz, the poet’s son; the Chopin salon, which recreates the composer’s last apartment; and the Bolesław Biegas Museum, devoted to this sculptor and painter of the École de Paris.

The collections include some 220,000 volumes, maps and prints, as well as works of art. Since 2013, the library, the Historical and Literary Society and the Mickiewicz Museum have been listed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. Since 2023, the Institut Bibliothèque polonaise de Paris, funded and overseen by the Polish Ministry of Culture, has run the whole institution.

Highlights

• Chopin salon with an 1845 Pleyel piano and the composer’s death mask
• Adam Mickiewicz Museum: manuscripts, first editions and the poet’s correspondence
• Bolesław Biegas Museum: sculptures and paintings by an artist of the École de Paris
• Collections of more than 200,000 books on Polish history and culture
• 17th-century building on the Île Saint-Louis

Permanent exhibitions

• Salon Chopin – An exhibition devoted to Frédéric Chopin, recreating his last apartment with portraits, mementos, letters, musical autographs and an 1845 Pleyel piano.
• Musée Adam Mickiewicz – A literary museum created in 1903 around the life and work of the poet, with manuscripts, first editions, personal objects and correspondence.
• Musée Bolesław Biegas – A presentation of the work of the sculptor and painter Bolesław Biegas, accompanied by paintings by Polish artists active in France in the early 20th century.

Founded

1838

Operated by

Institut Bibliothèque polonaise de Paris (IBPP)

Admission & discounts

Also free for members of the Polish Historical and Literary Society and their families, journalists, holders of the ICOM card and job seekers. Cash payment only.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit