Wiener Library, Research library and specialized archive in Russell Square, London, United Kingdom.
The Wiener Library is a research library and archive in Russell Square, London, dedicated to the history of the Holocaust and persecution. Its holdings cover books, document collections, photographs, and audiovisual materials that scholars and members of the public can access on site.
Alfred Wiener began collecting documents about rising antisemitism in Germany during the 1920s and moved his collection to London in 1939 to keep it safe from Nazi reach. The archive grew steadily after the war and is now one of the oldest institutions of its kind in the world.
The library takes its name from Alfred Wiener, the German-Jewish activist who founded it to document persecution as it was happening. Today, visitors can handle original photographs, personal letters, and eyewitness testimonies that are not available anywhere else.
The library is open to researchers and members of the public, but it is worth contacting them in advance to check whether a reader's card or appointment is needed. The building sits close to Russell Square and is easy to reach by public transport.
The library holds one of the earliest systematically built collections of Nazi propaganda material in the world, assembled in the early 1930s before most governments had recognized the threat. Some of these documents were later used as evidence in war crimes trials after the war.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
