Austrian National Library (Österreichische Nationalbibliothek)

Overview

The Austrian National Library (Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, ÖNB) is the largest library in Austria, with more than 12 million items. It is located in the Neue Burg wing of the Hofburg in central Vienna, with some collections relocated since 2005 to the Baroque Palais Mollard-Clary.

History

The library's origins trace to the book collections of the Habsburgs, first documented in 1368, when a gospel book written that year by Johannes von Troppau was already in the possession of Duke Albert III of Austria; no earlier founding date for the collection can be established, so 1368 is conventionally treated as its starting point. The first imperial court librarian, Hugo Blotius, was appointed in 1575, overseeing a collection of about 9,000 books. Emperor Charles VI commissioned construction of a permanent library building, the Baroque Hofbibliothek on Josefplatz, designed by court architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach and completed between 1723 and 1726; this hall became the library's first permanent home and today forms its State Hall (Prunksaal). Following the end of the Habsburg monarchy and the proclamation of the Republic of Austria, the library was renamed the Austrian National Library in 1920. During the Nazi era, following the March 1938 annexation of Austria, the library's director Josef Bick was arrested by the Gestapo and deported to Dachau; between 1938 and 1945 an estimated 400,000 to 500,000 objects, many looted primarily from Jewish private individuals and institutions, were added to the library's holdings. After 1945 the library restituted around 5,420 identified items, though restitution efforts ceased in 1950 despite many items of uncertain origin remaining in storage.

Collections, Holdings, and Publications

The library's holdings span papyri, manuscripts, incunabula and rare books, maps, globes, music manuscripts, portraits, photographs, and posters, dating from the 4th century CE to the present. Notable holdings include the Papyrus Collection derived from acquisitions by antiquities dealer Theodor Graf, the personal library of Prince Eugene of Savoy (roughly 15,000 volumes), and one of the world's largest collections of Esperanto materials. The library operates five public museums: the Papyrus Museum, Globe Museum, Literature Museum, Esperanto Museum, and the House of Austrian History, alongside the Baroque State Hall.

Access and Usage

The library provides 19 public reading rooms and serves as Austria's central academic library, offering local and remote loan services, research assistance, and reproduction services, alongside cooperation with universities, schools, and adult education institutions.