The Burgerbibliothek Bern looks back on centuries of history. Initially established after the Reformation in 1528 as a collection of books for the professors and students of the High School, it was transformed into a baroque universal library at the beginning of the 17th century. It was more than just a book depository, it was also an art chamber, antiquarium, natural history cabinet, research center and a place of sheer curiosity. Its collection was intended both to illustrate the world in its entirety and to serve as a representation of the authorities. A richly illustrated book of donations compiled in 1693 documents the numerous donations made to the library up until the 18th century.

The unity of library and museum dissolved in the 19th century. The museum collection was successively transferred to specialized institutions such as the Historical and Natural History Museums. Since 1951, the Burgerbibliothek has been the archive of the Burgergemeinde Bern. The documents it collects and makes accessible range from parchments from the early Middle Ages to digital data from the present day.

The exhibition, which was created in collaboration with students from the Department of Art History and Museology at the Universities of Bern and Neuchâtel, tells the story of the Burgerbibliothek using selected documents and objects, some of which have been loaned to the building on Münstergasse for the first time in over 200 years.

The exhibition can only be visited on a guided tour.


Note: This text was translated by machine translation software and not by a human translator. It may contain translation errors.