Love Books? Then waste no time and get yourself out to the Bavarian State Library in Munich / die Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in München.
We already know that there’s so much to see and do in Munich dont we?
But if you have any sort of bibliophilic tendencies, then with over 10 million books inside, this library is a must visit Munich destination for you.
In this post we’ll outline some of the key things you need to know about the HUGE Bavarian State Library and hopefully you’ll be armed with all the knowledge you’ll need, in order to get the best out of your visit to this magnificent book repository.
We hope you enjoy the read, and certainty as a Book Lover (bibliophile), – you should!
Where is the Bavarian State Library in Munich?
The Bavarian State Library is to be found in the bustling Maxvorstadt district and is directly adjacent to the campuses of the University of Munich on the Royal thoroughfare of Ludwigstraße.
The district of Maxvorstadt, thanks to its ever increasing number of educational and artistic institutions, is the most prgressive district in Munich.
As well as the Bavarian State Library the area surrounding is densely populated with museums galore, gardens, memorials and so much more to enjoy.
Bavarian State Library Digital Collections
The Bayerische Staatsbibliothek is home to somewhere in the region of almost eleven million books and almost 1 million historical prints.
Even more impressively, the Bavarian State Library is home to numerous historical, ancient texts and manuscripts available as part of its digital online collection.
Unbelievably there are more than 2,270,000 of those items available “in the cloud”.
The Museum holds a collection of German, Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and European manuscripts as part of its collection digitally, which are all available to view online.
Furthermore the museum, in partnership with the Berlin State Library, has published the Bibliotheksforum Journal since 2007.
The “BuB” as it is known, is one of the largest professional journals published anywhere dedicated to library and information science, and it’s certainly the largest online journal produced for German speakers anywhere.
The Bavarian State Library Manuscript Catalogue
As the second-largest journal library in Europe, the Bavarian State Library is an imposing building.
It certainly needed to house its unparalleled collection of books, artifacts, manuscripts and more.
The incredible Manuscript Catalogue of the library includes content from as far back as the 21st Century-BC, and so covers over 4000 years of written history.
The Manuscript Collection was back in c1558 when around 200 personal manuscripts of the then Austrian Chancellor, Johann Albrecht Widmannstetter, were acquired by Bavarian Duke Albrecht V.
It was added to over the centuries by avid book collectors from across sectors such as medicine, cartography and science, and exponentially grew from its humble origins, to be one of the largest libraries on the planet.
There are texts, scrolls and manuscripts from both the occidental and oriental, covering periods from antiquity through to medieval and modern.
With the written form being scribed on parchments made from ancient papyri & ostraka, to Babylonian cuneiform script etched on ceramic, to intricate and colourful codices presented on medieval paper, the fascinating display of ancient texts is mind boggling.
How Do I Get to the Bavarian State Library?
Walk: An easy 15 minute walk from Marienplatz and Munich’s Old Town directly north via Odeonsplatz and along Ludwigstraße.
Train: U-Bahn Line U2 – The library is served by the Universitat underground station.
Bus: Route 58 – There are bus stops on either side of the Bavarian State Library if you’d prefer to avoid the clamour of the underground and don’t feel like walking.
Address: Ludwigstraße 16, 80539 München, Germany
Bavarian State Library: Hours and Info
With so many different reading rooms and sections of the library there are also many different (and changing) operating hours.
Generally if you visit between 10am and 4pm everything will be open.
However, it’s best to check the full list of opening hours and timings on the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek website here.
Scanning, printing and copying options are available inside the library and it’s recommended that you peruse their page of FAQS before your visit to the library.
The Cafeteria in the basement is called the StaBi Cafe and you can certainly find sustenance here much like you can in all good public tourist destinations in the city,
Nearby the Bavarian State Library
Once you’ve finished spending time in the Bavarian State Library, we highly recommend making the most of the many other stunning sights and touristic locations close by.
The compact but very interesting Finanzgarten public park and sculpture garden is just two blocks away to the south with the massive English Gardens as close by in a easterly direction.
Another block to the south and you’ll find the 17th century Italian Renaissance Gardens known as the Hofgarten. Within you’ll see numerous stunning sights, including the historical Dianatempel, the Kriergerdenkmal im Hofgarten war memorial.
To the noth a couple of blocks is the wonderful Bavarian Victory Gate – the Siegestor and three blocks to the west is the amazing Alte Pinakothek and the Munich Glyptothek which are two of the most incredible museums you’ll see anywhere.
Meanwhile, when entering and leaving the Bavarian State Library, be sure to take in the grand architecture of the Ludwigstraße Royal Boulevard itself.
Bavarian State Library: A Fountain of Knowledge
If you’ve been looking for a unique destination to visit while in Munich, the Bavarian State Library is definitely one destination to consider.
Of course, as with any library, you’ll need to be quiet and respectful of the content – but if you’ve been looking to learn more about the region and ancient history, the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek is definitely one library you won’t want to miss checking out.
And with over four millennia of knowledge within these walls, you can’t help but feel smarter with every passing minute of your visit here.
We hope you enjoyed the read and we’d love to know if you’ve visited the library and what you thought of it so send a message via our contacts page.
Cheers Everyone and Happy Reading!
