Chronicle
1743 – Founded in Erlangen
At that time, the University Library of Erlangen-Nürnberg occupies just one room in the former Knights’ Academy. The core collection is assembled from the personal libraries of the founding margrave and the university’s first chancellor, Daniel de Superville..
1805 – Expansion
Around 13,000 books from the libraries of Ansbach and Schwaningen are being moved to Erlangen.
1817 – Death of Margravine Sophie Caroline
The university is taking over Erlangen Castle.
1818 – University of Altdorf
King Maximilian Joseph orderes that the libraries of the University of Altdorf, dissolved in 1809, be transferred to Erlangen. This doubles the holdings of the University Library, bringing them to around 80,000 volumes. Initially, the Altdorf collection is moved to the Red House on Schlossplatz, which no longer exists today.
1825 – Consolidation of all holdings
The library’s entire holdings are consolidated at Erlangen Castle starting in 1825, and by the early 20th century, even that facility had reached its capacity limits.
1913 – New Building
According to the most modern architectural principles of the time, a new building is constructed on the lot between Universitätsstraße and Untere Karlstraße in 1913, featuring a separate administrative wing and a storage block.
1974 – New construction
A new building is constructed directly across the street in 1974, and the public reading room moves there. The Old University Library now houses the administration, the media processing department, the university publications office, and the department of manuscripts, rare books and the print collection.
Annual Reports
The annual report is published in German only. The electronic version is available on OPEN FAU.