Fifth Extension in Leipzig
Photo: Stephan Jockel
We are building for posterity
The German National Library has been collecting all text, image and sound media published in Germany, about Germany or in the German language since 1913. Every year, the number of physical media works added to the collection covers about 3.3 kilometres of shelving at each of the locations in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main. The German National Library's unique mandate is to catalogue this ever-growing repository of knowledge and preserve it for posterity.
The building in Leipzig has already had four extensions built onto it to meet the need for more space.
More about the building history
Once again, all the stacks at the Leipzig location will soon be full to capacity. For this reason, the south-east side of the original building on Deutscher Platz will soon become home to an extension building – the fifth in the Leipzig location’s history.
Photo: GeoSN, dl-de/by-2-0
This new repository building will offer sufficient space to archive all the works added to the library over the next thirty years.
Milestones
As yet, all is quiet on the construction site earmarked for the future fifth extension building in Leipzig. However, plans are already being assiduously made on paper.
On 9 April 2024, a competition to design an extension to the German National Library's building in Leipzig – the fifth in its history – was announced in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Photo: pixabay
The competition entrants received the tender documents on 3 June 2024.
Photo: Büro für urbane Projekte
On 10 September 2024, the jury selected three winners.
1st prize: CODE UNIQUE Architekten GmbH, Dresden
2nd prize: AV1 Architekten GmbH, Kaiserslautern
3rd prize: Heinle Wischer Partnerschaft freier Architekten mbB, Dresden
The designs created by Waechter + Waechter Architekten BDA PartmbB and by Scheidt Kasprusch Architekten GmbH were also commended for remarkable work in individual areas.
Photo: Büro für urbane Projekte
The prizewinning works along with all the other entries submitted were exhibited to the public at the German National Library from 18 September to 1 October 2024.
To the exhibition
Visualisation: CODE UNIQUE Architekten GmbH, Dresden
In January 2025, the architecture firm CODE UNIQUE, which won first place in the architecture competition, was awarded the contract for the realisation of the German National Library’s fifth extension in Leipzig.
The construction work is expected to start at the end of 2026. The new building is scheduled for completion in 2030.
Contact person
Johannes Neuer, Director of the German National Library in Leipzig
bau-l@dnb.de
More information
More information and stories about the fifth extension are also provided in the blog series “5 answers from …”
Last changes:
08.01.2025
Short-URL:
https://www.dnb.de/extension
Contact:
bau-l@dnb.de
