History

The Bamberg State Library was founded in 1803 as a result of the mass secularization of religious institutions in Germany and was initially housed in the Jesuit college in the city centre of Bamberg until it moved to the New Residence on the Domberg in 1965. Our mission is determined by our growing collections and intensive efforts to make our holdings accessible.

Origin
Growth and Expansion
In the New Residence
Chronological Overview
Library Directors
Literature

Heinrich Joachim Jaeck (1777–1847), Head Librarian 1803–1847 (with Konrad Frey until 1813, with Alexander Schmötzer until 1815) | SBB, Gem.11

Michael Stenglein (1810–1879), Head Librarian 1848–1874 | SBB, V Ad 164

Friedrich Leitschuh (1837–1898), Head Librarian 1874–1898 | SBB, Gem.17

Hans Fischer (1859–1941), Head Librarian 1898–1924 | SBB, V Bu 19

Max Müller (1880–1953), Head Librarian 1924–1945 | SBB

Curt Höfner (1899–1980), Head Librarian 1946–1952 | SBB, Gem.62

Fridolin Dreßler (1921–2013), Head Librarian 1958–1967 | SBB, Msc.Add.92(9

Wilhelm Schleicher (1925–1985), Head Librarian 1967–1984 | SBB

Bernhard Schemmel (1940–), Head Librarian 1984–2005 | SBB, V BuG

Werner Taegert (1950–), Head Librarian 2006–2016 | SBB

Bettina Wagner (1964–), Head Librarian since 2016 | SBB

Origin

The Bamberg State Library was founded in 1803 as a result of the mass secularization of religious institutions in Germany and was initially housed in the Jesuit college in the city centre of Bamberg until it moved to the New Residence on the Domberg in 1966. Our mission is determined by our growing collections and intensive efforts to make our holdings accessible.

The name of this library has changed with the political situation in Bavaria: first, it was called Kurfürstliche Bibliothek (Electoral Library), then Königliche Bibliothek (Royal Library) from 1806 to 1918, Staatliche Bibliothek (State Library) from 1918 to 1966, then finally its current name, Staatsbibliothek Bamberg, from 1966 to the present.

Six notable manuscripts from secularised ecclesiastical institutions have not remained in Bamberg, but instead became part of the collection of the Bavarian State Library.

The first director of the library, Heinrich Joachim Jaeck (1777–1847), a former monk from the Cistercian Monastery at Langheim, organized approximately 60,000 volumes from the Bamberg area into a usable collection. He created and developed a systematic organization system and arrangement for the manuscripts and prints that are still partially valid even today. He also published catalogs and numerous scholarly articles on the library’s collections.

Growth and Expansion

Since the library initially had no acquisition budget, the revenue from sales of facsimiles and duplicates was needed to expand the holdings. In the 19th century, the collection of the State Library was enriched by a considerable number of donations. Thus, the holdings expanded to include a substantial part of the court library of the Duke of Wittelsbach, Charles II Augustus of Pfalz-Zweibrücken (1746–1795), the eldest brother of the first Bavarian King, Max I Joseph. The Latin version of the library’s name is Bipontina.

Collections of numerous citizens closely associated with Bamberg, such as the collector and art historian Joseph Heller (1798–1849), the medical professor Johann Lukas Schönlein (1793–1864), the captain of the Royal Navy Thomas Dempster Gordon (1811–1894), and the baron Emil Marschalk von Ostheim (1841–1903), also became integrated into the library.

The years 1874 to 1924 marked a period of consolidation. The head of the library, Friedrich Leitschuh, who was director from 1874–1898, began publishing a manuscript catalog, which was completed by his collaborator and successor, Hans Fischer, director of the library from 1898–1924, in a form that is still considered exemplary today. In 1966 Fridolin Dreßler edited a supplement comprising new acquisitions since 1912.

In 1941, to protect them from the effects of war, 15 boxes containing 619 top-quality parchment manuscripts, 16 early prints, and two large folders of graphic sheets and broadsides were taken to Neuschwanstein Castle via a brief stopover at the Bavarian State Library in Munich and later on to Hohenschwangau Castle. From there, the boxes were returned to Bamberg in June 1946 – complete and in undamaged condition. Further evacuations took place to Scheßlitz and to safe rooms within the library itself. Both the holdings and the building were spared losses and damage during the Second World War.

A stagnation in acquisitions in between the two World Wars caused by a lack of staff and funds ended after 1948 when the state of Bavaria decided to increase support for the libraries. Under the library directors Curt Höfner (director 1946–1952) and Alois Fauser (director 1953–1958), the library was revived, as the number of established posts for librarians and assistants increased.

The State Library's reading room in the former Jesuit College, ca. 1950. Today, the building is occupied by the University of Bamberg's branch library for theology and philosophy (An der Universität 2) | SBB, V Bu

The reading room is used for an exhibition in 1959 | SBB, V Bu

This ceased to be possible in 1962 due to the increasing lack of space and the resulting preparations for the move into the New Residence | SBB, V Buc

Reconstruction plans in preparation for the move into the New Residence, December 1961 | SBB, Akten D 11

Before it became the State Library's reading room, this hall in the New Residence was used for exhibitions of the Bavarian State Painting Collections | SBB, V BuG

Extensive excavation works on the Domplatz for the planned oil and water tanks | SBB, V Buc

Detailed model for the reading room, autumn of 1963 | SBB, V Buc

The former garden hall, which is today's reading room, as material storage | SBB, V Buc

Press reactions to the move into the New Residence and the opening event on 9th July 1965 | SBB, V Bub

Photographs showing the new library rooms, found in a private album | SBB, V Bud

Library director Dr Fridolin Dreßler shows the exhibition rooms to the Bamberg city councillors in 1966 | SBB, Msc.Add.92(9

A relic of times past - with a well-staffed in-house cleaning service | SBB, V Bub

The New Residence as seen on Bamberg Cathedral square in the late 1960s | V BuG

Notice detailing the State Library's opening hours, valid until 1973 | SBB, Msc.Misc.177f(11

The Scagliola Hall in 1974 with the old showcases, brightly lit by daylight | SBB, V BuG

New acquisitions published in 1976 or later were documented in an offline electronic catalog as part of the cataloging cooperation with the library of the Gesamthochschule Bamberg (Bamberg University's precurser). This marked the birth of the microfiche precurser to the "Bamberger Katalog." The card catalogs shown here gradually ceased to be used | SBB

The entrance next to the reading room in 1976 | SBB, V BuG

Until 1997, the circulation desk and supervisor were directly located in the reading room | SBB, V BuG

On 9 December 1976, the redevelopment of the former wine cellar into a stack-room is approved. The construction works were finished as early as 20th December 1978 | SBB, V BuG

The State Library loaned numerous books and journals to the Bamberg University library's precurser. After almost fourty years, they return to their original place one by one | SBB

The book donations of the Bamberg art historian Johann Joseph Morper (1899–1980) before they were sorted | SBB, V Buf

Photograph showing the Bamberg Cathedral square in the 1970s. In 1986, the entire square is declared a no-parking zone; busses had been forbidden to park there since 1980 | SBB, V BuG

In 1981, the Photocopying Service's revenue had noticably increased | SBB, Msc.Misc.177f(11

The decisive factor: new ektachromes of the Bamberg Apocalypse. The most famous of Bamberg's manuscripts was digitised in 2012 and can be freely accessed online since then | SBB

Since 1987, the State Library is responsible for the legal deposits of Upper Franconia. Every publisher in Bavaria is obliged by the law to submit two copies of their publication to the Bavarian State Library in Munich free of charge in order for them to be documented and archived | SBB

In February 1991, a delivery service between Bamberg and Chemnitz was established, connecting the Bavarian interlibrary loan with the new federal states for the first time. The State Library became a hub for interlibrary loans. Until 1993, the State Library was also responsible for the University library's interlibrary loans | SBB, V BuG

Storaged hardware meant for the participation in the Bavarian data processing system SOKRATES (used for OPAC research, circulation, telecommunication, acquisition and cataloging of publications). From 1992 on, The State Library used the system to catalog its collections online | SBB, V BuG

This "library mouse" was slightly overeager to eat the card catalog in 1992, when it was still in use. Works published before 1925 are still in the process of being entered into the online catalog; however, to this day the card catalog remains the only complete documentation of the older collections | SBB, V Bug

In 1992, the State Library enters into a new contract with the Historical Society of Bamberg regarding the storage of the latter’s graphical prints (kept since 1967) and manuscrips (kept since 1970) in the library. The Society’s library (printed works) had already been kept in the State Library since 1963 | SBB, HV.Rar.100, fol. 1v

Starting in 1994, Bamberg newspapers since 1754 were microfilmed with fundings by the DFG (German Research Foundation). The newspaper archive that emerged from the project is still used daily today | SBB

In 1995, the State Library came into the possession of the estate of Alexej Borutscheff (1911–1994), a Russian architect and painter who had lived in Bamberg | SBB

Miniatures from medieval manuscripts served as templates for promotionary material in front of the library's entrance due to a major exhibition on the art of writing from November 1995 to January 1996 | SBB

Exhibition of friendship albums called "Edler Schatz holden Erinnerns", held from 20th May to 4th November 1995 in the Sterngewölbe and the Scagliolasaal | SBB

On 14th May 1997, the State Library's homepage went online. The local newspaper "Fränkischer Tag" acknowledged this event with a detailed article | SBB

In 1998, the library's photographer Alfons Steber retired after decades of skillful work | SBB, V Bud

On 14th June 1999, the State Library joined the University library's electronic circulation booking system. This enabled users for the first time to order their books online from a computer of their choice. From then on, it was no longer necessary to personally fill out a library ticket in the library itself | SBB

On 28th December 2000, the State Library was gifted the extensive scholarly library of the historian Prof. Dr Otto Meyer (1906–2000) | SBB

Poster for the exhibition "Das Buch mit 7 Siegeln" (the book of seven seals). The event was held following the Facsimile reproduction of the Bamberg Apocalypse. For the first time, it was possible to show every single leaf of this luxurious manuscript. Around 20,000 visitors saw the exhibition until 31th January 2001 | SBB

The new showcases were installed into the star vault in October 2000 | SBB

The reconstructed medieval farmstead on the Cathedral square largely burned down just before the 2002 Bavarian state exhibition "Kaiser Heinrich II." (Emperor Henry II). The ruin was left standing as a memorial during the exhibition, and many visitors marvelled at this "staged" realistic display | SBB

Reading room exhibition on medieval book manufacture on occasion of the 2002 Night of Museums on 12th October | SBB

The archival storage chests of the prince-bishop's administration returned to the New Residence in 2003, the anniversary year of secularisation. Seen in the background, a plan from the Bamberg State Archive illustrates the chests' original arrangement | SBB

[Translate to English:] 2003 wird ein Teil der ehemaligen Hausmeisterwohnung im zweiten Obergeschoss zu einem multifunktionalen Seminarraum umgebaut. Die bisherige Residenzpflicht des Hausmeisters wird damit endgültig aufgehoben | SBB

In 2003, two of the State Library's treasure manuscripts from Reichenau Abbey were added to the UNESCO Memory of the World Register: the Bamberg Apocalypse, and the Commentary on the Song of Songs and on Daniel. On this occasion, they were presented in an exhibition at the end of 2004, drawing in about 4,000 impressed visitors | SBB

Since January 2004, 16th and 17th century stained glass pictures make for another sight in the entrance hall. They can be traced back to the art collector and scholar Joseph Heller and were installed into the windows of the former library hall in the Jesuit college by the library's patron of the art Emil Freiherr Marschalk von Ostheim in 1888 | SBB

Bans and regulations in the course of time | SBB

Heinrichs-Malerwerkstatt (Henry's painting workshop) in the Karstadt store in Bamberg. In cooperation with the Haus der Bayerischen Geschichte, pupils were given guided tours on the topic of medieval book manufacture for one week in June 2005 | SBB

The last of the University library's collections, stored there since 1979, move out of the State Library's compact shelving; the space is urgently needed by the growing collections of the latter institution | SBB

During the 2006 Long Night of the Libraries on 21st October, actors of the E.T.A.-Hoffmann Theatre performed "Faust" in the reading room | SBB

Installation of the Graz book table in July 2007, the starting point for the digitization of the Kaiser-Heinrich-Bibliothek (Emperor Henry library). It was finished in 2012 | SBB

In 2009, scenes of the short film "Die Unbedingten" were filmed in the State Library's show rooms | SBB

In 2010, the State Library received 226 rare printed works connected to E. T. A. Hoffmann as well as 1108 handwritten letters of Jean Paul as a permanent loan from the Oberfrankenstiftung (Upper Franconia Foundation) | SBB

The professional cleaning of manuscripts, incunables and old prints, the follow-up documentation of the existing damages, and restoration will take up many years | SBB

Certificate adding the Lorscher Arzneibuch (Lorsch book of medicines) to the UNESCO Memory of the World. It is the State Library's third manuscript on the register | SBB

Since the stack capacities in the New Residence were exhausted, a part of the collections were moved to a new external stack in September 2014 | SBB

A lorry filled with books for the Google mass digitization | SBB

Protective measures during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 | SBB

In the New Residence

In 1965, the library moved to the New Residence on the Domberg due to lack of space in the Jesuit College. Under Fridolin Dreßler (director 1958–1967), a fundamental reorganization and modernization of the State Library took place. Dreßler also chose E. T. A. Hoffmann as an area of special importance, thus laying the foundation for one of the largest collections of Hoffmanniana in the world, which was continually expanded under his successors.

Since 1986, the collection of illuminated mediaeval manuscripts has been cataloged in a project initiated by Bernhard Schemmel (director 1984–2005) and funded by the DFG, in order to make the holdings accessible for research through catalogs. As one of the first state-owned libraries in Bavaria, the Bamberg State Library has begun the systematic digitization and online presentation of its historical holdings.

In addition to its own holdings, the State Library also houses and manages the book collections of a number of Bamberg associations as deposits, such as those of the Bamberg Historical Society, the Bamberg Society of Naturalists, the E.T.A. Hoffmann Society and the Bamberg group of the Frankenbund.

Chronological Overview

1803	Establishment as the Royal Library and situated in the college house of the Jesuits in the middle of the Island District in Bamberg.
1807–1808	Along with the 11,400 volumes from the holdings of the Bipontina, a substantial part of the collection of Duke Karl II. August of Palatinate-Zweibrücken (1746–1795) from the Wittelsbach family is inherited.
1849	After the death of Bamberg art historian Joseph Heller (1798–1849), his comprehensive and valuable collection of prints and drawings comes into the possession of the State Library, as well as an accompanying library of around 6,000 volumes.
1887	The first volume of Friedrich Leitschuh’s manuscript catalog was published.
1903	Emil Marschalk von Ostheim (1841–1903) bequeaths in his testament his collection of prints and drawings and his library containing predominantly genealogical and heraldic literature, as well as literature on local and revolutionary history, to the State Library.
1965	Due to a blatant lack of space, the library moves to the New Residence on the Domberg.
1966	With its 4the volume (acquisitions since 1912), the manuscript catalog that was first published in 1887 comes to its conclusion.
1975	A cooperation agreement with the Bamberg University Library enforces a synchronized acquisition policy, a lending network, and library training.
1978	The former wine cellar is transformed into a stack-room for books, which, with around 7,000 shelf metres of space, provides storage for around 200,000 books.
1987	The Bamberg State Library becomes the depository library for all publications in Upper Franconia.
1993	Renovation of the Scagliolasaal and Sterngewölbe of the New Residence into a modern exhibition room.
1997	The era of the internet begins with own websites.
1999	The Bamberg State Library begins employing a system of electronic borrowing.
2000	On the occasion of their reproduction in facsimile, all of the individual pages of the Bamberg Apokalypse can be displayed in a single exhibition. 20,000 visitors take up this unique opportunity.
2003	From the holdings of the Bamberg State Library, the Bamberg Apokalypse as well as commentaries on the Canticles, the Book of Proverbs, and the Book of Daniel, two manuscripts of the Reichenau, are added to the UNESCO Memory of the World programme.
2007	With the installation of a Graz Buchtisch, the digitization of the manuscripts of emperor Henry II begins and is completed in 2012: around 50,000 pages of parchment can now be viewed online.
2008	The Bamberg State Library installs an electronic acquisition system.
2011	With the support of the Head Office of the Bavarian Library Network, the State Library develops the online portal "Bamberg Treasures" and presents selected thematically organized manuscripts, old prints, and drawings from its holdings. Since the relaunch in 2021, over a quarter of a million visits to the digital catalog, enriched with vast supplementary information, are recorded.
2013	The Lorsch Pharmacopeia is incorporated into the UNESCO Memory of the World programme.
2014	Since the capacity of the book stacks in the New Residence on Domplatz is completely full, part of the holdings is stored in a newly rented external stack-room.
2015	The Bamberg State Library inherits three high quality medieval manuscripts from Weißenstein Castle in Pommersfelden: a Gospel book from Corvey (Msc.Add.3000), a tracing of the Bamberg Rationale (Msc.Add.3001), and a gradual that likely stems from the Bamberg Cathedral (Msc.Add.3002).
2017	With the goal of making the collection of the Bamberg art scholar and collector Joseph Heller (1798–1849) as accessible as possible for use and research, an externally funded project starts, in the scope of which the library digitalizes, catalogs, and presents online selected prints and drawings as well as his entire correspondence.
2019–2025	The Bamberg State Library takes part in a Google project on the mass digitization of their historical prints that are not protected by copyright law.
2020–2022	In order to mitigate the somewhat severely adverse effects on the on-site operation of the library in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the virtual series of lectures "Bamberg Book Stories" starts. Additionally, the exhibition catalog "Joseph Heller and the Art of Collecting" is also presented as an interactive e-book.
2024	The Bamberg State Library puts new library software into operation. The joint library catalog and the lending network with the Bamberg University Library cannot be continued.

Library Directors

1803–1813	Konrad Frey (1764–1813), Heinrich Joachim Jaeck (1777–1847) and Alexander Schmötzer (1748–1815)
1813–1815	Heinrich Joachim Jaeck (1777–1847) and Alexander Schmötzer (1748–1815)
1815–1847	Heinrich Joachim Jaeck (1777–1847)
1848–1874	Michael Stenglein (1810–1879)
1874–1898	Friedrich Leitschuh (1837–1898)
1898–1924	Hans Fischer (1859–1941)
1924–1945	Max Müller (1880–1953)
1946–1952	Curt Höfner (1899–1980)
1953–1958	Alois Fauser (1906–1987)
1958–1967	Fridolin Dreßler (1921–2013)
1967–1984	Wilhelm Schleicher (1925–1985)
1984–2005	Bernhard Schemmel (1940–)
2006–2016	Werner Taegert (1950–)
2016–	Bettina Wagner (1964–)

Literature

Jaeck, Heinrich Joachim: Vollständige Beschreibung der öffentlichen Bibliothek zu Bamberg. Bamberg, 1831–1835 (catalog).

Leitschuh, Friedrich: Führer durch die Königliche Bibliothek zu Bamberg. 2. ed. Bamberg, 1889 (digitized version).

Fauser, Alois; Gerstner, Hermann: Aere perennius. Jubiläums-Ausstellung der Staatlichen Bibliothek Bamberg zur Feier ihres 150jährigen Bestehens. Bamberg, 1953 (digitized version).

Schemmel, Bernhard: Staatsbibliothek Bamberg. Handschriften, Buchdruck um 1500 in Bamberg, E. T. A. Hoffmann. Bamberg, 1990 (digitized version).

Handbuch der historischen Buchbestände in Deutschland. Vol. 11 (1997), pp. 127–140 (online).

Schemmel, Bernhard: Bamberg – ein Modell? Die Staatsbibliothek im Gefüge des Bamberger Bibliothekssystems. In: Bibliotheksforum Bayern 27 (1999), pp. 163–179 (catalog).

Die Staatsbibliothek Bamberg 2005–2015. Bamberg, 2016 (digitized version).