Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin
Two heavenly reading rooms and exciting architecture
Not just for rainy days: the Berlin State Library with its two buildings on Unter den Linden and Potsdamer Straße is not just one of the largest libraries in Germany with over 32 million books. It is also an exciting place for architecture fans, exemplifies Berlin's history in the 20th century and has even had a leading role in an internationally acclaimed film.
The history of the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin is an exciting piece of history, symbolising the history of Berlin in the 20th century. Century, and a well-known shooting location of the film "The Sky Over Berlin" by Wim Wenders.
Two buildings, one library
Built between 1903 and 1914 as an extension to the library at the time, the splendid main building on Unter den Linden showed the Stellenwert at the beginning of the 20th century.
However, at the end of the war in 1945, large parts of the only main building at the time were severely damaged. Large parts of the collections evacuated from the city were also located in the territories of the Western Allies. A reunification of the collections seemed just as far away as the reunification of Germany.
For West Berlin, it was initially an important concern to bring the "State Library in Exile" back to the city. The holdings evacuated during the Second World War were collected from the territories of the Western Allies in the Marburg University Library. However, it was to take some time to retrieve them. It was not until the 1960s that agreement was reached on a new building in Berlin, which was already divided at the time. Based on the plans of the famous architect Hans Scharoun, the foundation stone for Haus Potsdamer Straße was laid opposite the Berlin Philharmonie on 10 October 1967.
The Potsdamer Straße: A building with pitfalls
Scandal at the Kulturforum: Exploding costs, numerous changes to the plans and conflicts between artistic aspirations and library practicality led to delays. These went so far that the State Library on Potsdamer Strasse was labelled a "construction chronicle scandaleuse" by the magazine Der Spiegel.
Today, it is clear that the effort was ultimately worth it: Berliners and countless researchers and students from all over the world love the building known as the "Bücherschiff". Since it opened in 1978, people have been browsing books here and enjoying the building's film-like charm.
Two heavenly reading rooms for Berlin
Your visit to the Potsdamer Straße State Library could be a case of déjà vu. Film fans in particular often have the feeling that they've seen the spacious room with its endless rows of bookshelves before. Don't worry, your brain isn't playing tricks on you: the reading room was one of the shooting locations for Wim Wenders' film "The Sky Over Berlin". In this internationally acclaimed film from 1987, the angels Damiel and Cassiel walk among the readers and listen to their thoughts. The loneliness and isolation in the big city, but also the joy of life, awaken in one of them the desire to become a human himself.
Reading and learning in Atlantis
Although not yet a film star, the Reading Room at Unter den Linden is just as impressive. After several years of construction work, you can now re-enter the library through the impressive main entrance.
The imposing staircase opens up to an open space with study areas in the centre and bookshelves on several levels along the walls. In Atlantis, as the reading room is called, there are around 140,000 works from a wide range of research areas. In addition to philosophy, religion, economics, biology and medicine, you will also find books on history, literature and general reference works and encyclopaedias. More than enough reading material for every day: take a stroll through the shelves like Damiel and Cassiel and let yourself be inspired by the thoughts in book form.
Integrated into the Unter den Linden building, there has also been a small museum for several years, the Stabi Kulturwerk. It presents interesting temporary exhibitions on book art.
Highlights of the Staatsbibliothek
- Film-ready library and perfect place to drift from book to book
- Imposing staircase in the Unter den Linden building and open reading room Atlantis
- Varying architectural history in the Potsdamer Straße building, in which artistic aspirations are combined with library requirements
- Spectacular view at sunset on the golden "outer skin" of Haus Potsdamer Straße
- Public guided tours on the history, architecture and tasks of the State Library
Your visit
The two buildings of the Staatsbibliothek are easy to reach by public transport. You can reach the Haus Unter den Linden on foot from the Friedrichstraße S-Bahn station or the U-Bahn station Unter den Linden. The Haus Potsdamer Straße is located near the Potsdamer Platz S-Bahn and U-Bahn station.
Culture nearby
The two buildings of the State Library are ideal starting points for further explorations in the surrounding area. With Philharmonie and Kammermusiksaal you can expect two top-class concert halls directly opposite Haus Potsdamer Straße. For peaceful walks, the Tiergarten with the Siegessäule. Shopping facilities and restaurants can be found at Potsdamer Platz. From the Unter den Linden building, it is just a few minutes' walk to Museum Island and the Berlin Cathedral. The lively Brandenburg Gate and Friedrichstraße with shopping opportunities, theatres and more can be easily reached from here.
