21 September 2023 press release

The German National Library is celebrating its 111th birthday on 3 October 2023! On this day we’re holding from 11:00 to 16:00 a varied programme at our founding location in Leipzig - including a scavenger hunt. The festivities mark the 111th anniversary of the signing of the contract to create the Deutsche Bücherei on 3 October 1912.

Visitors will be able to take a tour to get to know Germany’s greatest knowledge repository for themselves. An interactive exploration tour will not only take visitors through the publicly accessible areas of the Library, but also include puzzles which can be solved behind the scenes. Visitors will pass by historic rooms, encounter curious machines and find out about the history and future of how knowledge is stored in the German National Library. A themed tour of the building and an online Actionbound scavenger hunt include photo challenges, drawing tasks and a quiz. A selection of small prizes await visitors at the end of the tour, along with an individual travel diary through 111 years of knowledge. The Day of Action is a chance to take a last look into two of the German National Library’s historic reading rooms, which are being closed for restoration between early October 2023 and mid-2024.

At the same time, the German Museum of Books and Writing will once again enjoy “Türen auf mit der Maus” (Opening doors with the Mouse). Fans big and small of the cult TV show “Die Sendung mit der Maus” will be able to discover rare and fascinating items in the museum and its collections, all under the heading of “precious treasures”.

Te German National Library's 111th anniversary celebrations will continue after 3 October with more events, stories and activities in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main.

The complete programme at DNB - 111 years of the German National Library

Background

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 location in Frankfurt am Main was established in 1946 following the dividion of Germany. The reunification of Germany also saw the libraries in Leipzig and Frankfurt am Main merge into one. The two locations have since developed into a single modern institution that serves the whole country and has a crucial role to play in Germany’s cultural memory.

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