Vienna University Library

One of the oldest libraries in the German-speaking countries

You are now entering the library area of the University. The entrance is from the period of reconstruction the followed the Second World War. If you turn to the right, the artistic glass windows made by Giselbert Hoke set a clear stylistic tone.

If you go up the few steps towards the window and turn left, you can see into the large reading room through the glass door and get a good impression of this impressive centrepiece of the University Library. The large reading room has 350 workplaces and is home to a reference library of 25,000 volumes. Despite its historical atmosphere the large reading room has been adapted for modern use.

In 1884, the Library and around 300,000 volumes moved into the Universitätspalast. Today there are around 2.7 million volumes in the open-access area and book stack. The entire inventory of the University Library, including all faculty libraries, totals 7 million volumes.

This makes the Vienna University Library not only the oldest in the German-speaking countries but also the largest scientific library in Austria, which can also boast a considerable range of electronic resources.