# Former Library The former municipal library of Sarlat - **Place**: Sarlat-la-Canéda - **Address**: 32 rue de la République, 24200 Sarlat-la-Canéda · Dordogne - **Period**: XIXᵉ siècle - **Type**: Civil building - **Protection**: Not protected - **Coordinates**: 44.889, 1.216 At 32 rue de la République, this 19th-century neoclassical building was bequeathed to the town of Sarlat by Emmanuel Lasserre. A municipal library open to the public from 1930, the site closed its doors in August 2024, its collections moving to the new media library. ## History - **1924 — The Lasserre bequest** Emmanuel Lasserre bequeaths his house, his books and his works of art to the town of Sarlat. - **1930 — The opening** The municipal library opens to the public at 32 rue de la République. - **2024 — The closure** The site closes in August 2024; the collections move to the new media library. ## Figures - **Emmanuel Lasserre · † 1924 · Benefactor** A collector of books and objets d'art, Emmanuel Lasserre bequeathed his house and his collections to the Town of Sarlat on his death in 1924, enabling the opening of a public library in 1930. ## Places - **The coffered ceiling room · The first fit-out of the library-museum** This room constitutes the most remarkable heritage element of the interior: it was created by the town of Sarlat from 1928 onwards, as part of the conversion of the house bequeathed by magistrate Emmanuel Lasserre into a "library-museum for public instruction". It welcomed Sarlat's readers for almost a century, until the transfer of public reading services to the new inter-municipal media library in 2024. Its coffered ceiling gives it the solemn character of the study libraries of the early 20th century. - **The second-floor apartment · L'étage privé, mémoire d'une demeure de magistrat** Before becoming a public library in 1930, the building was the personal residence of magistrate Emmanuel Lasserre, who owned and lived in it until his death in 1924. The second-floor apartment preserved the domestic layout of the Sarlat bourgeois house of the early 20th century, with its living rooms and period decor. This level long remained distinct from the public use of the ground and first floors, which were fitted out as reading rooms, and constitutes a rare testimony to a magistrate's home preserved at the heart of the city. ## Key facts - **1924 — A bequest to the town** on his death, Emmanuel Lasserre bequeathed to the town of Sarlat his collections of books and works of art, along with his house, on condition that a library-museum be opened there. - **2024 — The end of an era** after nearly a century, the library closed its doors in August 2024, its collections moving to Sarlat's new media library. ## Frequently asked questions ### Who do we owe this library to? To the magistrate Emmanuel Lasserre, who on his death in 1924 left his house, his books and his art collection to the town of Sarlat, on condition that a library and museum be opened there. It opened to the public in 1930. ### Why did the library close? It closed its doors in August 2024, after nearly a century of activity. Its collections moved to Sarlat's new intercommunal media library. ### What is left to see inside? The coffered-ceiling room, made from 1928 by the Parisian artist Baudson, which welcomed readers for nearly a century. And the second-floor flat, still laid out as an early twentieth-century Sarlat townhouse. ### Is the building listed? No, it is not protected as a historic monument. Its interest lies in its interior decor and in the story of the Lasserre bequest. ## Links - Full page: https://opusheritage.com/en/villes/sarlat-la-caneda/ancienne-bibliotheque - Town: https://opusheritage.com/en/villes/sarlat-la-caneda --- Source: OPUS Heritage, https://opusheritage.com/en/villes/sarlat-la-caneda/ancienne-bibliotheque. Content published by the town of Sarlat-la-Canéda.