11 February 2025 press release

The Humanities Reading Room and the Natural Sciences Reading Room at the German National Library in Leipzig will reopen to users and visitors at 11:00 on 24 February 2025 following a comprehensive renovation.

The project began in October 2023 with guidance from the state-owned real estate and construction management company Staatsbetrieb Sächsische Immobilien- und Baumanagement, acting on behalf of the Saxony State Ministry of Finances. With close support from the City of Leipzig’s department for protected monuments, the work on the Humanities Reading Room included modernising the windows, optimising the heating and ventilation system, and restoring all the furniture in the room. The new LED lighting and modern linoleum floor help create a pleasant working environment in this historic architectural setting.

While the renovations were going on, we also redesigned our issues desk. Inspired by the construction work carried out in 1916, the German National Library has broken new ground by introducing a modern digital media box system which allows users to access books, journals and other holdings even outside normal library service hours. Thanks to the media boxes, lending, storage for reuse and returns have all been automated while maintaining our collection preservation guidelines.

The extensive project was entrusted to KHM Architects and their partners mbb in Leipzig. One particularly challenging aspect of the project was to balance modern interior design and technology with the sensitive treatment of a building with protected monument status. Sustainability was a key priority in this area, reflected in the use of construction materials with low emissions and levels of harmful substances.

The Library will be closed from 18 to 22 February 2025 to facilitate the transition from the interim lending process to the new system. Exhibitions in the German Museum of Books and Writing will be open as normal.

Visitors can experience the German National Library’s oldest reading room on our regular Sunday tours and during cultural events, such as the upcoming “Leipzig Reads” festival (27 to 30 March) or the “Library Night“ (4 April).

The first event to take place in the restored Humanities Reading Room will be a performance of the “Ursonate” by Kurt Schwitters on 25 February 2025 at 18:00. Composed only a few years after the German National Library was established in 1912, the “Ursonate” is considered a key text of the avant-garde Dada movement. The way in which Schwitters combines words, music and typography reflects the main focus of the German National Library’s collection, with its emphasis on works of visual, sound and written media.

Now that the restoration project is complete, all eight of the German National Library’s reading rooms in Leipzig are open once again. Each offers its own unique atmosphere, such as the classical early 20th Century reading room and the Music Reading Room from the 2010s, with its doors inspired by piano keyboards. In addition to this, we have created two new group workspaces in the Humanities Reading Room.

New users who register before 3 March 2025 will still be able to register free of charge. From 3 March 2025 onwards, a user fee of €5 (weekly) and €25 (annual) will be charged. The charges have been introduced in response to the challenging financial circumstances facing the German National Library which have made it impossible for us to continue the suspension of user fees which was introduced on a trial basis on 1 March 2020. Through its services, the German National Library promotes freedom of information and expression while strengthening the core values of our democracy. Our long-term goal is therefore for all users to be able to access our services free of charge.

Use by young people aged 16-20 will remain free of charge, as will attendance at a wide range of cultural events.

Background

The German National Library collects, documents and archives all written publications and sound recordings issued in Germany since 1913 together with works in German and about Germany published worldwide. The German National Library's unique mandate is to catalogue this ever-growing repository of knowledge and preserve it for posterity. It offers a comprehensive range of services at its sites in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main along with digital services that can be accessed all over the world. It regularly organises readings, exhibitions, presentations and concerts to draw attention to its holdings and promotes a culture of books, reading and music with a varied programme of events.

The German National Library welcomes donations to support its work. Whether for general purposes or specifically for the areas of education, collections, cultural programmes and research - donations help us preserve our national cultural heritage, educate our public in the fields of science and culture, and kindle their enthusiasm. Any support helps!
https://www.dnb.de/EN/engagement

More information

Information about using the German National Library in Leipzig
https://www.dnb.de/use

Guided tours and cultural offerings
https://www.dnb.de/EN/Kulturell/kulturell_node.html

New sounds amid historic splendour: Kurt Schwitters’ “Ursonate” (1923) in the Reading Room
25.02.2025, 18:00, free admission
https://www.dnb.de/EN/Kulturell/Veranstaltungskalender/Einzel/20250225KurtSchwitters_event.html

Contact

Images for editorial use

Press image material is only available in German.