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TtE-Bücherei

Freely accessible library and archive of left-wing social movements at the Alte Feuerwache — holding citizens' initiative journals and a substantial collection of grey literature.

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The TtE-Bücherei is a library and archive of left-wing social movements, housed in the Alte Feuerwache community centre in Cologne's Neustadt/Nord district.

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Source: Wikipedia

At a Glance

Type
Library and archive of left-wing social movements
Location
Alte Feuerwache community centre, Neustadt/Nord (Innenstadt district)
Collection
approx. 16,000 books and pamphlets, freely accessible and systematically organised
Journals
approx. 1,400 titles
Notable feature
around a quarter of the holdings is classified as grey literature
Network
Member of the research network FICEDL (Fédération internationale des centres d'études et de documentation libertaires)
Did you know?

The name "TtE" doesn't derive from a book title or person, but from a boycott: the former club venue was called "TT Embargo", named after a protest against the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy.

History

The library traces its origins to a reading circle in Leverkusen in the mid-1980s, connected to the youth centre movement. In the early 1990s it relocated to Cologne. A sister project under the same name exists in Schwerin.

Journals

Alongside its books and pamphlets, the collection holds around 1,400 journal titles from citizens' initiatives, women's projects, self-help groups, and a wide range of political organisations.

The Name

The abbreviation TtE refers to two things: the former meeting venue TT Embargo of the Leverkusen support association for self-managed youth centres (Förder- und Trägerverein selbstverwaltete Jugendzentren e.V.), and the boycott of the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy.

Timeline

  1. Mitte der 1980er Jahre
    Founded from a reading circle in Leverkusen in the context of the youth centre movement
  2. Anfang der 1990er Jahre
    Relocated to Cologne at the Alte Feuerwache community centre

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Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-06-27

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