History of the library
For over 150 years, Vienna City Library has been the cultural memory of Vienna – a place where history, research, and remembrance converge. As one of Austria’s largest academic libraries, it preserves unique collections which document the city’s political, cultural, and intellectual life over six centuries.
While its roots date back to the Middle Ages, the library in its current form was established in 1856 following a city council resolution to found “a well-equipped municipal library.” In 1886, it moved into the newly built Vienna City Hall, where it remains to this day.
Once an administrative library, Vienna City Library quickly evolved into a center of urban cultural and intellectual history. The donation of Franz Grillparzer's estate in 1878 has had a lasting impact on the library’s collection strategy. Today, in addition to books and periodicals on Vienna or those printed in Vienna, the library holds approximately 1,600 literary, musical or artistic estates, 250,000 autographs, 120,000 musical manuscripts and prints, and around 450,000 posters – one of the largest collections of its kind in the world. These holdings are complemented by photographs, theater programs, and numerous special collections.
Along with the renaming to the Vienna City Library in 2006, the institution deliberately repositioned itself – strengthening its presence in the city and among the public. Since then, its focus has been on expanding and preserving its collections, as well as on digitization, provenance research, and outreach. By joining the Austrian Library Network and introducing modern systems, service and digital accessibility have improved further.
Recent projects include the Digital Poster Studio, which features over 150,000 items; the Wien Geschichte Wiki developed in collaboration with the Municipal and Provincial Archives of Vienna; and participatory crowdsourcing initiatives. With its own AI lab, the library is exploring new ways to connect knowledge.
Exhibitions, publications, and events make research findings and collections accessible to a broad public. A series of events is dedicated to digital humanism, which involves a critical examination of the relationship between technological development, cultural memory, and social responsibility. Since 2021, the library has also been organizing the Vienna Lectures, a forum for science communication that was successfully launched in 1987.
The Vienna City Library combines the preservation of history with contemporary research. It is a vibrant place of knowledge and remembrance, fostering a dialogue between the past, present, and future.
How to use the library
Vienna City Library is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. As it is a reference library, books and materials can be consulted in the reading room but do not circulate. Most of the holdings can be researched and ordered via the online catalogue.
Use of the library facilities is free of charge. Users require only a valid library card, which is issued upon filling in a short form and presenting photo identification.
Books and other library items are located in the stacks inaccessibleto users. Requests for holdings stored in the city hall or nearby, made before 9:00 a.m., will be available from 2 p.m. the same day. Material in off-site storage, however, is retrieved only on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays – order by 9 a.m., provision from 2 p.m. If you, for example, place your order after 9 a.m. on a Monday, the item will be available from 2 p.m. on Wednesday. This is indicated in the online catalogue.
Copies in digital or analogue formats can be ordered at the Reproduction Service and via Reproduction Order. In addition, the library offers several microfilm and microfiche readers as well as self-serve copiers and scanners.
Large reference book sections in the reading rooms can be consulted without prior order.