Library of the canton of St. Gallen, Cultural heritage library in St. Gallen, Switzerland.
The Library of the Canton of St. Gallen is a research facility that collects and preserves books, manuscripts, and documents from the region for public access. The building houses extensive collections spanning centuries of regional knowledge and records.
The collection began with a donation of books from reformer and physician Joachim Vadian in the 16th century. Over time, additional gifts and acquisitions transformed it into a major archive of regional history.
The library holds handwritten records from people who shaped the region, allowing visitors to connect with the personal voices of local history. These materials reveal how residents lived and thought across different centuries.
The library is located in central St. Gallen and is mainly open on weekdays for visitors. To make the most of your visit, check ahead which collections are available and arrange an appointment if you want to view specific materials.
The Vadianische Sammlung, a permanent loan from the Ortsbürgergemeinde, holds around one hundred medieval manuscripts, among them alchemical manuscripts of the 15th and 16th centuries and a copy of Rudolf von Ems's Weltchronik. It also keeps the autograph collection of Robert Alther, with some 16,000 handwritten documents.
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