Berlin State Library

The Berlin State Library (German: Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin; colloquially Stabi) is a universal
library in Berlin, Germany and a property of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation. It is one
of the largest libraries in Europe, and one of the most important academic research libraries in
the German-speaking world.[2] It collects texts, media and cultural works from all fields in all
languages, from all time periods and all countries of the world, which are of interest for
academic and research purposes. Among the more famous items in its collection are the oldest
biblical illustrations, in the fifth-century Quedlinburg Itala fragment, a Gutenberg Bible, the
main autograph collection of Goethe, the world's largest collection of Johann Sebastian Bach's
and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's manuscripts, and the original score of Ludwig van
Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.[3]
Library of Kings[edit]
In the early period, the fortunes of the State Library rose and fell on royal whims. In 1658 Frederick
William, Elector of Brandenburg decreed that his private books be organized, cataloged and made
available to the public. His library opened in 1661 at Clln as the "Library of the Elector"
(German: Churfrstliche Bibliothek zu Clln an der Spree). In 1699, Frederick I more than doubled the
collection, extended opening hours and introduced the first Prussian legal deposit law. In 1701 it was
renamed the "Royal Library" (German: Knigliche Bibliothek) upon Frederick I's accession as first King
of Prussia. Frederick William I then cancelled the acquisition budget in 1722 and gave away the valuable
scientific collection to the Prussian Academy of Sciences in 1735. Frederick the Great also cared little for
the library at first, preferring instead his own literature in the French language. However, in 1770 he
granted the library substantial assets and it made several important acquisitions. To avoid the problems
caused by its dependence on the crown, Frederick the Great also granted the library considerable
autonomy.[4]

Rise to Preeminence[edit]
With new resources and authority, construction began on a Royal Library building on
the Bebelplatz in the center of Berlin. Built between 1775 and 1785 by Georg Christian Unger to
plans by Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach, it's nicknamed the Kommode (Chest of drawers)
after its Neo Baroque design. The collection then underwent nearly continuous improvement and
expansion. By 1905 it had become the largest and most influential repository of materials in the
German language, and at 1.2 million books one of the largest libraries in the world.[5] The
Bebelplatz building housed the library until 1914, when the headquarters moved into new, even
larger premises on the Unter den Linden: the climax of the library's development before the First
World War. Today the old Royal building houses the Faculty of Law of Humboldt University.
At the founding of the Weimar Republic the library was renamed the "Prussian State Library"
(German: Preuische Staatsbibliothek). After 1919, economic effects of war and inflation on the
library were mitigated through the active support of the Emergency Association of German
Sciences (after 1930, the German Research Foundation).

War and Destruction[edit]

The Nazi period severely damaged the institution through political intimidation, employee
dismissals, restrictions on foreign acquisitions and the effects of World War II. On 10 May 1933
a book burning ceremony was held at the Bebelplatz by members of the Deutsche
Studentenschaft, the National Socialist German Students' League, Sturmabteilung "brownshirts"
and Hitler Youth groups at the instigation of the Propaganda Minister, Joseph Goebbels.
The Nazis burned over 20,000 books - mostly from the neighboring University, not the State
library itself - including works by Thomas Mann, Erich Maria Remarque, Heinrich Heine, Karl
Marx and many others. Today a glass plate set into the Bebelplatz, giving a view of empty
bookcases, commemorates the event. After an Allied bomb hit the Unter den Linden building in
1941, the various holdings (now some 3 million volumes and over 7,400 incunabula) were
evacuated to 30 monasteries, castles and abandoned mines around Germany. By the end of the
war, the main building was severely damaged, the valuable collections distributed across allied
zones of occupation, the library staff had been killed or scattered, and 700,000 volumes
either destroyed or lost.[6] With the formal dissolution of the State of Prussia in 1947, support for
the library ended and the Prussian State Library ceased to exist.
Rebuilding and Reunification[edit]
After 1945, parts of the collection that had been hidden in what became the Soviet occupation
zone were returned to the war-damaged Unter den Linden building in East Berlin. It first opened
in 1946 as the Public Scientific Library (German: ffentliche Wissenschaftliche Bibliothek).
When further restoration work was completed in 1955, the library was renamed the German
State Library (German: Deutsche Staatsbibliothek). The great domed reading room, however,
remained a ruin in the center of the building..[8] From 2000 until 2012 Berlin State Library was
refurbished by German architect HG Merz. The destroyed reading room, the core of the building,
was replaced by a glass cube.
Legacies of the Past[edit]
Many important items from the original collection are now located in Poland and territories of
the former Soviet Union - declared as war reparations, sometimes controversially - such as
the Berlinka Art Collection. The original score of Beethoven's 8th Symphony is a starker
example of division: while the first, second and fourth movements are in Berlin, the third is kept
in Krakw.[9] Conversely, it is estimated that about 10,000 volumes and 9,000 other items in the
Berlin State Library are there as a result of Nazi plunder. Repatriation and self-criticism about
these materials suffered from neglect, so in 2005 the Prussian Cultural Heritage
Foundation established the Center for Provenance Research to speed up the process. Sometimes,
however, the past cannot be mended. In 2008 a Library user found
an encyclopedia entitled Religion in History and the Present Day with a bookplate indicating it
once belonged to a Jewish theologian. Library staff managed to find his widow in Israel, but she
wrote back: "I appreciate your offer to return this book to me, but I have no use for it now." [10]

Locations[edit]
The State Library operates from two major public sites, Haus Unter Den Linden and Haus
Potsdamer Strae, called the "Library in Two Homes".[11] There are additional subsidiary
locations for newspapers, magazines, and archives not open to the public.
Haus Unter Den Linden[edit]
The original main building was built between 1908 and 1913 by the Prussian Construction and Financial
Direction of Berlin, then responsible for public constructions in the city. The Neo Baroque design is by
popular Wilhelmine court architect Ernst von Ihne and was further adapted by Alexander Baerwald, who
was in charge of the construction management. In front of the building is an equestrian statue of Frederick
the Great. The building was 40% damaged during World War II, and after the division of Berlin wound up
in East Berlin. It is undergoing a major expansion by HG Merz, including a new translucent central
reading room on the ruins of the old dome, and will become the main historical research library housing
the collection up to and including 1945.[12]

Haus Potsdamer Strae[edit]

This is the newer building in the Kulturforum on Potsdamer Strae in West Berlin, designed by Hans
Scharoun with substantial participation by Edgar Wisniewski. Construction began in 1967 to house those
parts of the library's evacuated holdings from the western Allied occupation zones at the end of World
War II. After 11 years of construction, it was finally dedicated by Federal President Walter Scheel and
opened to the public in 1978. It was renovated from 1999-2001. The building is currently being further
redeveloped into a modern research library as a companion to the Haus Unter den Linden and will house
the collection from 1946 onwards.