The Bertrand Bookstore: A Treasure

Located in Lisbon, Portugal, the oldest operating bookstore in the world is The Bertrand. Established in 1732, this bookstore is older than the U.S. Constitution. The Bertrand was founded by a man named Peter Faure who had the intention of making it a hub for intellectuals of the day and the company now has a large chain of stores throughout Portugal. The company even owns 8 of its own publishers.

Interestingly, several years after its birth, the Bertrand acquired its own printing press, taught writing and printing, and even has its own special font created exclusively for them. 

For a time during the 1750s, the Bertrand was moved to a different location after its destruction during a massive earthquake which destroyed most of the city. It has remained in this "new" location ever since.

Photo by Stephen Coles

Like other areas of the globe, Portugal has also seen a sharp decline in readership as well as brick-and-mortar book sales. All of these issues have been exacerbated by the recent economic crises which have sent shock waves throughout Europe. Despite all this, new in 2015 was a renovation which created space for "cultural events" and also brought in the store's first ever coffee shop. 

While bookstores in Europe continue to close their doors, the Bertrand has managed to stay in business and even have a little growth. The history and intellectual tradition of this shop simply cannot be matched by other, newer establishments. 

Here's to hoping they'll always be around.