Wienbibliothek im Rathaus

[1] The Wienbibliothek preserves 500,000 books, 2,000 newspapers and magazines, 300,000 posters, 500,000 autographs, notable bequests and legacies, and one of the most important music collections in the world.

The library is part of the Magistrat der Stadt Wien (Municipality of Vienna) and supervised by the City Councillor for Culture.

Beginning in the second half of the 19th century, the City Collections encountered a massive enlargement by bequests and legacies by public, artistic and scientific personalities like Franz Grillparzer, Ferdinand Raimund, Johann Nestroy, Karl Kraus, and Helmut Qualtinger.

In 1977, the name Wiener Stadt- und Landesbibliothek was chosen to reflect the constitutional position of Vienna as a city and a state of Austria.

The library holds collections of literature (Druckschriftensammlung), autographs (Handschriftensammlung), music (Musiksammlung), posters (Plakatsammlung), and documentation.