Elected World Book Capital, Rio has historic libraries; get to know them

The city of Rio de Janeiro was chosen as the World Book Capital in 2025 , an initiative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ) that annually recognizes municipalities that promote reading for all social groups and age groups.

This was the first time that a Portuguese-speaking capital received the title. In 2024, Strasbourg, France, took the distinction. Madrid, Alexandria, Bogotá, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires and Athens have all held the title in the past.

In a press release, UNESCO said that Rio de Janeiro’s literary heritage is of paramount social importance. The organization also highlighted the “clearly defined vision and action plan to promote literature, the sustainability of the publishing market and reading among young people, taking advantage of digital technologies.”

Audrey Azoulay , Director-General of UNESCO, stressed that books are essential vehicles for accessing, transmitting and promoting education, science, culture and information. “Thanks to books, we stay informed, have fun and are able to better understand our world,” she said in a statement.

The year of celebrations in Rio as the World Book Capital began at the end of April.

Literary highlights of Rio de Janeiro

The city of Rio de Janeiro is home to the Rio Book Biennial , one of the largest book fairs in Latin America. The last edition, in 2023, broke attendance records with more than 600,000 visitors and sold around 5.5 million books, according to the organizers. In 2025, the event will begin on June 13.

Another highlight came last year, when Rio de Janeiro announced literary routes to showcase the lives of writers such as Machado de Assis, Lima Barreto, Clarice Lispector and Rachel de Queiroz through an app. The initiative combined history, culture and technology to highlight the city's authors in audio guides available on EmbraturLab's official website .

Rio de Janeiro also received recognition from UNESCO as a Creative City of Literature in 2023. According to the organization, the capital uses literature as a tool to address inequalities and improve the population's quality of life.

The city also holds historical and cultural sites of local and world literature. Among them, the public can visit and visit the libraries of the Royal Portuguese Reading Room and the Brazilian Academy of Letters .

Discover 3 historical and literary places in Rio de Janeiro: National Library

The National Library was founded after the arrival of the Portuguese Royal Family in Brazil in 1808, and is the oldest Brazilian cultural institution. The site has around 9 million items and houses the largest bibliographic and documentary collection in Latin America.

For this reason, UNESCO considers the institution as one of the main national libraries in the world . It also provides reading and research rooms.

Guided tours take place Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., meeting in the Main Hall. The tour is free.

National Library: Avenida Rio Branco, 219 – Centro, Rio de Janeiro – RJ / Opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 10 am to 5 pm.

Royal Portuguese Reading Room

The Royal Portuguese Reading Room , built between 1880 and 1887, also has a rich literary collection, with more than 350 thousand volumes.

Due to its “legal deposit” status, the library receives copies of works published in Portugal, and holds the largest number of works by Portuguese authors outside of the European country. It is the only institution in the world that still has this privilege.

The place holds rare copies, such as an edition of “Os Lusíadas”, by Luís de Camões , and a manuscript of “Amor de Perdição”, by the Portuguese writer Camilo Castelo Branco.

The Royal Cabinet is also not lacking in beauty: the institution was chosen as one of the most beautiful libraries in the world by Time magazine in 2014.

Visits are free on weekdays from 10am to 5pm. You can also visit the Royal Cabinet virtually .

Royal Portuguese Reading Room: Rua Luís de Camões, 30, Centro, Rio de Janeiro – RJ / Tel.: (21) 2221-3138 / Opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 10 am to 5 pm.

Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL)

The Brazilian Academy of Letters (ABL) , inaugurated in July 1897, is home to the “immortals” of national literature and art. Names such as Machado de Assis, Graça Aranha, José Veríssimo and Olavo Bilac founded the institution.

The ABL has two libraries in downtown Rio de Janeiro. One of them is the Lúcio de Mendonça Academic Library , the oldest of the institution, which is located inside its headquarters, on the 2nd floor of the Petit Trianon palace. The Rodolfo Garcia Library , inaugurated in 2005, is located in the Austregésilo de Athayde Palace, and opened after the headquarters no longer had space to store the entire collection.

At the Petit Trianon, guided tours take place on Wednesdays at 2 pm, except on holidays, and can be booked on the official website . Admission is free and it is worth checking the tour schedule in advance .

Brazilian Academy of Letters – Petit Trianon: Avenida Presidente Wilson, 203, Centro, Rio de Janeiro-RJ / Tel.: (21) 3974-2500 / Opening hours: guided tours on Wednesdays, at 2 pm.

Literary routes in Rio offer a journey through the life of Machado de Assis

*With information from Victoria Nogueira Rosa, CNN contributor, and Tamiris Gomes, from CNN