Murhard Library "partially opened" - treasure chamber and new extension

The historic Murhard Library, prominently located on the "Kassel Museum Island" on Brüder-Grimm-Platz, has been undergoing extensive refurbishment since 2017, including the addition of a three-storey extension to the north-west. This part and the renovated so-called head building with the entrance area have now been approved, thus completing the second and third construction phases of the overall project. The fourth and final construction phase - the south wing - will be completed in 2026 at the earliest.

"The construction project demonstrates our commitment to education, research and access to knowledge for all," said Science Minister Timon Gremmels. "Libraries preserve reputable sources for research and social discourse. They are places for reading, reflection and exchange. They are indispensable in the process of our democratic decision-making. That is why we were happy to support this important project with around 16.6 million euros from our HEUREKA university construction program."

"The Murhard Library - initiated by the Murhard brothers as a citizens' library - is an important pillar of our municipal knowledge supply," said Dr. Sven Schoeller, Lord Mayor of the City of Kassel. "With their culturally, historically and scientifically significant collections, the Murhard and State Libraries are available to interested citizens of our city as well as researchers from all over the world. At the same time, the building is a defining component of the Brüder-Grimm-Platz, around which numerous important cultural institutions are located and which has developed into an inner-city cultural center. In this respect, I am very pleased that the renovation and extension of the Murhard Library, in the context of which a significant milestone has now been reached, will give it the appreciation that does justice to its relevance within Kassel as a science location, but also worldwide."

"The complex renovation and construction measures at the Murhard Library were and are also associated with special challenges for the LBIH," explained Thomas Platte, Director of Landesbetrieb Bau und Immobilien Hessen (LBIH), adding: "Examples include the realization of the 330 m² reading room with the inviting window front facing the park and the exhibition room in the new building, which is subject to high conservation and security standards. To ensure that the library's 'treasures' are well protected, a very high technical standard has been and continues to be installed in the Murhard Library, for example to guarantee optimum climatic conditions for the many books and writings. I am therefore all the more pleased that a further construction phase has now been completed and that the partial opening could be officially celebrated."

"The University is delighted that this important stage of the renovation has now been completed and that this part of the building is fully usable," commented the University's Chancellor, Dr. Oliver Fromm. "We hope that the remaining work will now progress quickly and that we will be able to use the Eulensaal in the south wing again as soon as possible."

After seven years of renovation and construction during ongoing operations, the partial opening marks the end of an important construction phase that will once again allow visitors to enter through the historic main portal and access the new building. The new building is characterized by its sustainable construction and modern building and security technology. It includes a state-of-the-art stacks, a light-flooded reading room with 30 reading places and a spacious exhibition room (210 square meters) to present the valuable historical holdings - e.g. medieval manuscripts - in a well-protected manner (expected from 2026).

The head building of the listed Murhard Library has been carefully modernized. It has a special reading room with eight reading places for concentrated work with precious originals and a training room with 15 workstations. The interior was designed in such a way that it retains its historical character, but at the same time meets the requirements of a modern learning and working space in an academic library and contemporary energy standards. The newly created areas are barrier-free.

In the final construction phase, renovation work will now follow in the south wing, which houses the historic Eulensaal, among other things. The library will not be fully accessible until mid-2026 at the earliest once all the construction work has been completed. It will then be able to accommodate 700,000 media. Valuable originals, for example from the manuscript collection, can then also be presented again.

The state of Hesse is funding the construction project from the HEUREKA university construction program. The total costs - including the next construction phase - amount to around 16.1 million euros. An additional 0.5 million euros will be spent on the initial equipment. The project is being supervised by Landesbetrieb Bau und Immobilien Hessen. The new building was designed by the architects Sichau & Walter (Fulda).

The 55,000 readers of the "University Library, State Library and Murhard Library of the City of Kassel" will be able to use the new premises again during regular opening hours from tomorrow (November 20, 2024) after years of restrictions and, most recently, a five-week complete closure. In addition, the "Murhardsche" - as it is known in Kassel - is inviting interested members of the public to an "Open Day" on November 23, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with several guided tours of the library planned. On November 27, 2024 at 5.30 pm, the library also invites you to a lecture evening with Georg Ziereis, Regensburg: "Fascination facsimile - so close to the original!". To attend, please register in advance by November 25, 2024 at direktion[at]bibliothek.uni-kassel[dot]de

Background:

The Murhard Library is named after the Kassel residents Friedrich and Karl Murhard, who left their fortune to their home town in their will in 1845 to endow a scientific citizens' library. The neo-Renaissance library building was opened in 1905 and has been used jointly by the two libraries "Murhardsche Bibliothek der Stadt Kassel" and "Landesbibliothek" since 1959. This was preceded by the transfer of responsibility for the Landesbibliothek, the former electoral library, from the state to the city of Kassel in 1957. Since 1976, the two libraries have been departments of the Kassel University Library and have world-class holdings, especially in the field of manuscripts and autographs. Among the most valuable holdings of the State Library are, for example, medieval manuscripts such as the Hildebrandlied from the 9th century, one of the oldest records of German poetry.

Contact:

Marijana Pavic
Kassel University Library - State Library and Murhard Library of the City of Kassel
Public Relations
Tel.: +49 561 804-2762
E-mail: oeffentlichkeitsarbeit[at]bibliothek.uni-kassel[dot]de

Sebastian Mense
University of Kassel
Communications, Press and Public Relations
Phone: +49 561 804-1961
E-mail: presse[at]uni-kassel[dot]de