Deutsche Bücherei, National library in Leipzig, Germany
The Deutsche Bücherei is a national library in Leipzig that has systematically collected all German-language publications since its founding. The building complex includes several reading rooms and storage areas holding books, periodicals, maps, and digital media.
The library was founded in 1912 on the initiative of the German Book Trade Association, the Kingdom of Saxony, and the city of Leipzig. Its original mission was to collect every German printed work and keep it for future generations.
The library holds the German Exile Archive, which preserves works by writers and artists who fled abroad during the Nazi period. Visiting it gives a direct sense of how people managed to save their work across borders.
The collections can only be consulted on site in the reading rooms, so registration is required before your visit. It is worth checking in advance which collections are relevant to your interests and when the rooms are open.
Inside the library sits the German Museum of Books and Writing, which displays printed works from the 15th century onward. Among the items on show is one of the earliest known copies of a Gutenberg print, which visitors can see up close.
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