Stadtbibliothek Köln
One of Germany's largest public libraries with around 850,000 items — currently operating from a temporary location on Hohe Straße during major renovations.
The Stadtbibliothek Köln is a public institution of the City of Cologne and ranks among the largest public libraries in Germany. Its collection spans around 850,000 items spread across the central library and eleven branch libraries.
Source: Wikipedia
At a Glance
- Type
- Public library of the City of Cologne (Department VII, Arts and Culture)
- Location
- Altstadt-Süd, central branch at Josef-Haubrich-Hof near Neumarkt
- Network
- Central library, eleven branch libraries, a bus library, and several specialist facilities
- Collection
- approx. 850,000 items
- Members
- approx. 87,000; around seven million uses per year
- Founded
- 1890; current central building dates from 1979
- Currently
- Central library closed since June 2024 for major renovation; interim location at Hohe Straße 68–82
The central library at Josef-Haubrich-Hof spans eleven floors – four of which are entirely underground as storage areas, while only five floors are open to the public.
Age comparison
Age compared with other places in Cologne.
The Library Network
Alongside the central library, the network includes eleven branches in Cologne neighbourhoods such as Ehrenfeld, Kalk, Mülheim, Nippes, Porz and Sülz, plus a bus library. The branch on Severinstraße is housed in Haus Balchem, a Baroque building restored after the Second World War. The library serves around one million Cologne residents as well as users from the wider region and neighbouring Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
The Central Library
The central building, erected in 1979 at Josef-Haubrich-Hof, covers 11,000 m² across eleven floors, four of which are underground and used as stacks. Five floors with around 6,600 m² are open to the public. The building adjoins Fleischmenger- and Bayardsgasse and sits in the city's cultural quarter alongside the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum, Museum Schnütgen and the adult education centre (Volkshochschule).
Collections and Facilities
Items available to borrow include printed books, sheet music and maps as well as CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, audiobooks, games, language courses, software and e-books. The central library also offered dedicated workspaces for students, iPad stations, a 3D printer and scanner, an electric piano and a recording studio with a Grotrian-Steinweg grand piano. The children's library allowed visitors to try out PC and console games, while a "Library of Things" lent out items such as tools, slide projectors and binoculars.
Special Collections
The central library is home to the audio library for the visually impaired (with access to 30,000 titles via MEDIBUS), the Heinrich Böll Archive, and the Literatur in Köln (Lik) collection. On display are an original study belonging to Heinrich Böll and photographs of Cologne authors. Since 1979, Germania Judaica — a library dedicated to the history of German Jewry — has also been based here.
Renovation and Interim
The central library at Neumarkt is undergoing a comprehensive renovation from June 2024 until 2028 and is closed throughout this period. Since February 2025, it has been operating from a temporary location at Hohe Straße 68–82.
Timeline
- 1890Foundation/opening of Stadtbibliothek Köln
- 1979Central library at Josef-Haubrich-Hof opens; Germania Judaica moves in
- 2011Children's library renovated; Q-thek reading/event room established
- 2012July: Staff checkout desks dissolved, RFID self-service introduced
- 2024June: Central library closed for major renovation
- 2025January: Anja Flicker takes over as director
- 2025February: Interim location opens at Hohe Straße 68–82
- 2028Planned completion of the central library's major renovation
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
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Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-27