Bibliotheca Thysiana

Bibliotheca Thysiana is a public research library in Leiden with classical Dutch architecture and Ionic columns positioned above an elevated basement. The building at Rapenburg 25 holds approximately 2,500 books and thousands of pamphlets along with historical furniture and equipment from the 17th century.

Johannes Thysius, a young legal scholar, established the library in 1653 as a place for public learning and study. The building became one of the earliest public research libraries in the Netherlands, preserving the reading and knowledge culture of that era.

The name honors Johannes Thysius, who left this collection as a public resource for the city. Visitors can see books and pamphlets from the 17th century that show what subjects interested scholars at that time.

To view materials from the collection, visitors must request them in advance through the Leiden University Libraries catalog. Reading takes place in the Special Collections Reading Room, where the historical holdings are made accessible under proper conditions.

The building houses one of only 14 surviving historical bookwheels from the 17th century, a rotating piece of furniture for reading multiple books in sequence. This rare item shows how readers once organized their reading.

Location: Leiden

Elevation above the sea: 4.109 m

Operator: Universiteitsbibliotheek Leiden University

Phone: +31715272857

Email: specialcollections@library.leidenuniv.nl

Website: http://bibliotheek.leidenuniv.nl/bijzondere-collecties/oude-drukken/bibliotheca-thysiana.html

GPS coordinates: 52.15919,4.48466

Latest update: December 9, 2025 12:20