The National Library of Sweden (Kungliga Biblioteket)

The National Library of Sweden, Kungliga biblioteket or KB, is tasked with preserving and storing everything published in Sweden. That includes school books, fashion magazines, DVD movies and news bulletins broadcast on the radio. The collection contains well over 18 million items, according to Visit Stockholm, and the oldest are more than a thousand years old. KB has been housed at its current location in the middle of Humlegården park since 1877.

The collection’s range is the reason to visit: it brings together forms of Swedish publishing that extend from books and magazines to film and radio. Its size gives a sense of the breadth of the library’s preservation task. The National Library is an attraction in Stockholm, and KB is the short name used for Kungliga biblioteket. The library’s stated remit covers everything published in Sweden, not only books. The available description does not give visitor arrangements, admission prices, opening hours or a suggested visit length.