Magdeburg's city library is celebrating 500 years as a knowledge center!

Magdeburg's city library is celebrating 500 years as a knowledge center!

The Magdeburg City Library, one of the oldest libraries in Germany, is celebrating its 500th anniversary this year. Since its founding during the Reformation, it has developed into an indispensable knowledge center for the city and looks back on an eventful history. Dr. Cornelia Poenicke, the head of the library, emphasizes the importance of this institution as a “collective living room” for the city's citizens.

The origins of the city library go back to the dissolution of the Augustinian monastery at the end of 1525, when the 200-volume library was handed over to the city council. Today, the city library's historical inventory includes over 100,000 media from five centuries, including valuable works from the time it was founded. The diverse collection includes not only books, but also music, films and games, making the library a modern meeting place for all ages.

An anniversary full of activities

As part of the anniversary, the city library will celebrate its 500-year history with a series of events. The opening event “On a discovery tour with Bibo” is on the program next Saturday, where citizens can discover the library. Mayor Regina-Dolores Stieler-Hinz will read from the popular children's book “The Wolf Who Fell Out of the Book” at 11 a.m. in the Central Library. A reading competition in which primary school students can demonstrate their creativity has already begun.

The motto of the celebrations, “Celebrate reading!”, runs through numerous activities. On April 4, 2025, the city library will host the State Literature Days, which will culminate in a Night of Libraries and a reading marathon. Future workshops are also planned for young people, which offer opportunities to design the library of the future. The idea of ​​merging the library with the adult education center shows ongoing change and adaptation to modern needs.

A look into the future

The city library mastered the challenges posed by the age of the Internet excellently. While demand for non-fiction books has fallen, fiction and children's literature are enjoying great popularity. Despite these changes, user numbers remain stable at a high level and the library offers a wide range of free events: from language cafés for migrants to workshops and readings in different languages.

A special highlight is the book bus, which has supplemented the institution as a mobile offering since 1975 and is now firmly anchored in the city's cultural work. It brings books to schools, daycare centers and readers in Magdeburg, making the valuable media accessible to many people who do not always have the opportunity to visit the local library.

These diverse offerings and the active involvement of citizens make the Magdeburg City Library not only a place of knowledge, but also a lively cultural meeting place. For those who love reading or are simply looking for new ideas, there is now no reason not to visit the city library - there is something for everyone here!

The official anniversary campaign week, which takes place from October 24th to November 5th takes place, will say goodbye with a big ceremony in the St. John's Church. An anniversary that not only honors the past, but also looks to the future and shows how flexible and adaptable a library can be.