Libraries in Germany

Posted February 10, 2023 by Rebecca Devereaux

It’s good to be back after a really nice winter break. Happy new year to everyone! I had a few grand adventures which I wanted to update you all on. After going home to Washington for Christmas and New Years, I went on a trip to Europe! This trip really revealed my library nerdiness. Almost every place we went I forced my friends to go on a mini exploration of the local libraries. In between rounds of museums, long walks on cobblestone streets and breaks of kaffee und kuchen here is where we went!

Prague: Municipal Library of Prague—This is where the Instagram famous infinity books photos are taken. There was a huge line for the photo station, which I walked right by to go snoop in their library.

Prague: Strahov Monastery Libraries—One is focused on theological texts and the other is on philosophical texts. They are all lusciously old. Made my archivist heart happy.

Berlin: Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin—This library is so impressive. It is free to access and has some very cool collections.

Berlin: Bebelplatz—This is not a library but a memorial to the books burned in this plaza. There are empty bookshelves beneath the street to represent the number of books which were destroyed.

Dresden: Zentralbibliothek—This was a great public library in Dresden. If I were a student here you would find me in this library most of the time.

Freiburg im Breisgau: Statbibliotek Freiburg—This public library is small but has a free public bathroom (a huge win in Europe if you didn’t know this already). It is located right across from the Freiburger Münster, a very beautiful cathedral.

Freiburg im Breisgau: Universitätbibliothek Freiburg—According to my friend who goes to university here, this library has been voted the third worst library in southern Germany. It was very modern but in a gray unfriendly way. I think I would use the small public library over this one if I went to school here.

I am always looking for examples of what a library could be. I want to see how libraries service their communities and adapt to different conditions. Expect more random library visits from me in the future!