Overall View
The Bamberg State Library, housed in the former prince bishop's new palace (built by Johann Leonhard Dientzenhofer, 1697-1703), is one of the "great libraries" (Anthony Hobson, 1970). This high esteem is due to its wealth of manuscripts (about 6,000 items, among them 1,000 mediaeval ones). The nucleus of the collection may be traced back to the emperor Henry II, who founded the bishopric of Bamberg in 1007. He supplied above all the cathedral with magnificent and/or valuable manuscripts, which he or his predecessors had collected or commissioned. Manuscripts from various spiritual centres of the West were brought to Bamberg. Subsequently many books were written and illuminated in the town, notably by the Benedictine monks of Mount St. Michael in the 12th century.
Bamberg was the first place where books in the German language, illustrated by woodcuts, were printed. Although only fragments of the very early printing in Bamberg are available now, the collection of 3,400 incunabula documents the wide range of book production in the 15th century.
Whatever survived of these manuscripts and books in the monasteries of the town and bishopric up to 1802/1803, was integrated into one library (now the State Library) during the period of secularization, and merged with the library of the university, which was closed. It had been founded in 1648 as a Jesuit academy. Bamberg became part of Bavaria. In the course of the 19th century the library was enriched by gifts such as Joseph Heller's collection of now 80,000 prints and drawings. The E. T. A. Hoffmann material became a special collection in our times, as did, more recently, alba amicorum. The valuable holdings are made available to the public by regular themed exhibitions.
The Bamberg State Library is a scholarly library with priority given to the humanities. It supplies the town and the region with literature for research and study purposes, professional work and advanced training. The holdings of about 450,000 volumes are continuously supplemented and enlarged by acquisitions in all general fields, and in specific areas such as the history and geography of (Upper) Franconia, art history and appreciation, manuscripts and the printed book.
The Bamberg State Library is the depository library of the second copy of books published in Upper Franconia, and compiles a bibliography on the region. It cooperates in all fields of librarianship with the University Library of Bamberg, refounded in 1972.
For all further information or queries, please do not hesitate to send an e-mail to info@staatsbibliothek-bamberg.de.
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