111 YEARS OF THE GERMAN NATIONAL LIBRARY

111 years ago, in 1912 the Kingdom of Saxony, the City of Leipzig, and the Börsenverein der Deutschen Buchhändler zu Leipzig (German Book Traders’ Association of Leipzig) signed a contract for the foundation of the Deutsche Bücherei.
The library location in Frankfurt am Main was established in 1946 after the partition of Germany.
On 3 October, German Unity Day, our libraries in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main merged into a single institution. The two locations have since developed into a single modern institution that serves the whole country and has a crucial role to play in the cultural memory of Germany.
111 years after the foundation of the German National Library, we celebrated our anniversary by publishing 111 stories from the German National Library in our blog and holding a variety of events, both online and at our physical locations.

111th ANNIVERSARY OF OUR FOUNDATION – MATERIAL FOR MANY A STORY: 111 STORIES

We have been digging in our memories and archives to bring rarely told stories to light.
In our 111th anniversary year, we have regularly published a story about the German National Library – some anecdotal, some informative. Why is there a doner kebab grill in the German Music Archive? Where do the phone books live? And what is a three-metre tall man doing in the IT department?

You will find the answers and other stories in our blog (only available in German).

Open Day in Leipzig and virtual

On Sunday 12 March, the German National Library in Leipzig welcomed more than 2,600 guests to its Open Day, which launched the celebrations marking its 111th anniversary. Interested visitors of all ages, including a lot of families, took a look behind the scenes of a modern library: with insights into its history, glimpses of its future, guided tours of the hidden places in our building with its extensive stacks and reading rooms, and exciting events for children.

Review

Our birthday party in Leipzig on 3 October

On 3 October, the German National Library celebrated its 111th birthday and surprised all its visitors in Leipzig with an special birthday programme: an on-site scavenger hunt through the building - both analogue with paper and pencil and digital with an Actionbound.

Find out more in our Blog (only available in German)

Review

Open Day in Frankfurt am Main

Our Open Day in Frankfurt am Main on 12 November 2023 officially ended the year of celebrations marking the 111th anniversary of our foundation. Some 1,600 visitors seized the opportunity to take a look behind the scenes of the German National Library in Frankfurt am Main: from the roof down to the extensive underground stacks, on guided tours, tours of exploration for children and young people and visitsto the German Exile Archive’s 1933–1945 exhibitions.

Review