Topping-out ceremony for the renovation and expansion of the Murhard Library

The first construction phases are now complete: Guests were able to get an impression of the changes at today's topping-out ceremony, to which they were welcomed by Hesse's Finance Minister Dr. Thomas Schäfer, University President Professor Dr. Reiner Finkeldey and Kassel's Head of Cultural Affairs Susanne Völker, as well as Head of Department Irene Bauerfeind-Roßmann (Hesse Ministry of Science and the Arts).

The listed Murhard Library on Brüder-Grimm-Platz has been undergoing extensive renovation since July 2017 and is being extended to the west with an annex. The extension, with around 680 square meters of main floor space, will create an appropriate architectural setting for the contemporary presentation of the library's high-ranking cultural treasures. With its glazed reading room on the upper floor, the building will provide a visually appealing urban accent at a historic site and add another visitor attraction to Kassel's museum ensemble on the Weinberg. In addition to the reading room and exhibition space for the library's valuable historical heritage, the new four-story building will also house a magazine on the site of the current parking lot.

"Germany's only endowed university and municipal library is getting an upgrade: the state is investing around 13.8 million euros here as part of the state government's HEUREKA university construction program. The state funds will not only benefit the renovation of the Murhard Library's historic existing building, but also its expansion with a new building. We can already see from today's interim status that the construction project encompasses three central aspects: the preservation of an important urban cultural monument, the linking of the old and the new through the supplementary new building, and the significant improvement in energy efficiency," explained Finance Minister Dr. Thomas Schäfer. He wished all those involved in the construction work every success in the coming phases: "I am convinced that the final result of the construction work will be just as first-class as the literary treasures that the Murhard Library houses. With the renovation and expansion, we are also taking into account the donor's idea, because the Murhard brothers had an open house in mind that should be accessible to all citizens as a cultural center."

University President Professor Dr. Reiner Finkeldey explained, "This will not be a hermetic refuge, but a place of inspiration, exchange and communication - entirely in the spirit of the founders Friedrich and Karl Murhard. They stood for Enlightenment values, for openness to the world, tolerance, democracy and the freedom of science, and wanted to strengthen and promote these virtues with their foundation. This is also what the University of Kassel has stood for since its founding. With this library, our university will become a strong part of the attractive museum ensemble on Kassel's vineyard."

"The library of the brothers Friedrich and Karl Murhard was intended to be a place where people could gain information, insights and knowledge. The Murhard library still stands for the hunger for education and the cosmopolitanism of its founders today - and the conversion and extension building also carries this ideal into the future. It is all the nicer that today the Brothers Grimm are also represented as neighbors in the immediate vicinity with their ideas and ideals, and that in the future the Murhard Library will become even more than before a place of networking for the urban society, a place of social and cultural exchange," said Kassel's head of culture Susanne Völker.

Background:

The Murhardsche Bibliothek is housed in an old building on Brüder-Grimm-Platz. It originated from an endowment by the Kassel brothers Friedrich (1778-1853) and Karl (1781-1863) Murhard, who belonged to one of Hesse's oldest families of civil servants. In their wills, the two brothers donated their entire fortune for the foundation of a citizens' library with the aim of promoting education and reading culture among the population. The Murhard Library is the second largest location of the Kassel University Library and provides a setting for special cultural events within the university with its historic building. The historic library building houses world-class manuscripts and autographs.

The library renovation comprises around 4,850 m² of floor space. Measures to improve the energy efficiency of the existing building, which is a listed building, are being implemented that take into account the protection of historical monuments and help to preserve the historic fabric of this cultural landmark. These include, for example, insulation work, renovation of the roof structure and replacement of windows.

On the one hand, the extension creates a visual link to the design of the old building with its building base of natural stone masonry, but on the other hand it also shows itself as a contemporary building with its glass facade of the upper floors and the bridge. Its construction allows for particularly energy-efficient management and thus makes a practical contribution to the goal of a_CO2-neutral state administration by 2030. The newly created areas will be accessible to library visitors without barriers.

Contact:

Sebastian Mense
University of Kassel
Communications, Press and Public Relations
Tel.: +49 561 804-1961
E-mail: presse@uni-kassel.de
www.uni-kassel.de