Zentralbibliothek
- Visit: under an hour
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What's on here
Graubünden in Zürich – Bündner Manuskripte in der ZB
Saturday · All day
Eine Neuerscheinung zeigt das Werk der Zürcher Fotografin Gertrud…
Saturday · All day
D&D Live
9 Sep 2027 – 8 Oct 2027
Why go
- The Predigerchor, the Gothic choir of the former Black Friars' church, where the music department is housed.
- The Wickiana, a collection of unusual events gathered by Johann Jakob Wick.
- The Thesaurus Hottingerianus, documents collected by Johann Heinrich Hottinger.
- The graphic collection, with sheets from the 15th to 20th century and 162,000 illustrated postcards.
Opening hours
Today08:00 – 20:00Show all
What's inside
- The old building, renovated, houses the special collections: manuscripts, graphics, maps, old prints and Turicensia.
- A larger new building stands on the site of old warehouses, with the reading room and administration wing of 1994.
- The map section holds 245,000 maps and about 4,000 atlases.
- The manuscript section holds 650 medieval manuscripts.
- A plan of the main building shows the treasury, to help visitors find their way.
- The library consists of four buildings in all.
Know before you go
- A suggested visit lasts under one hour.
- Questions can be sent by e-mail to [email protected] or by phone at +41 44 268 31 00.
- One user card from the IDS network gives access to all member libraries.
- Students and staff can reach many full-text databases through the university network.
Services and visiting hours
- Monday to Friday
- 08:00–20:00
- Saturday
- 09:00–17:00
- Sunday
- 09:00–19:00
Interesting facts6
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The motto «Arte et Marte» means through learning and arms.
Zentralbibliothek Zürich - Wikipedia -
200 pounds
The chapter bought the private library of Huldrych Zwingli for 200 pounds.
Zentralbibliothek Zürich - Wikipedia -
500 bequests
The manuscript section holds over 500 bequests from writers and artists, including Elias Canetti and Gottfried Keller.
Biblioteca centrale di Zurigo - Wikipedia -
900,000 visitors
About 900,000 visitors come to the library each year.
Zentralbibliothek Zürich - About us -
The 97-metre spire of the Predigerkirchturm rebuilds the top of the old Grossmünster towers and is the city's highest church tower.
Zentralbibliothek Zürich - Wikipedia -
A recently found manuscript fragment is the oldest document of Italian lyric poetry; it preserves a poem by Giacomino Pugliese.
Biblioteca centrale di Zurigo - Wikipedia
Shorts
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Das Geheimnis in der Zentralbibliothek ZürichWeltakte Mystery
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ZentralbibliothekAlinka
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Seilergraben 17, Zurich next to the Zentralbibliothek!! Be there on t…Manga Artist in Zürich
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Zentralbibliothek ZHBlue Tour
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Belagsarbeiten, Zentralbibliothek Zürich – Amarit Belagstechnologie: …Marti AG, Bauunternehmung Zürich
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Zurich’s Main Library, Zentralbibliothek, ZürichDudo Erny
History
The library's roots go back to the abbey library of the Grossmünster, first attested in 1259. From 1532, the humanist Konrad Pellikan rebuilt it. A city library followed in 1634, and a cantonal library was set up in 1835. It stands in the old town on the site of the former Predigerkloster, near the university. An extension built between 1990 and 1994 replaced old stack buildings.
- 1259The Grossmünster abbey library is first attested, the root of the collection.
- 1525A book storm destroys most of the stock.
- 1532Humanist Konrad Pellikan begins rebuilding the library.
- 1634A city library is founded, admitting only citizens.
- 1835A cantonal library is set up from about 3,500 volumes.
Show all
- 1914The cantonal and city libraries merge into the central library.
- 1917The library opens to the public as a foundation run by city and canton, led by Hermann Escher until 1932.
- 1990–1994An extension is built on Zähringerplatz, replacing old stack buildings.
Sources: Zentralbibliothek Zürich - Wikipedia · Zentralbibliothek Zürich - Startseite · Zentralbibliothek Zürich - Collections · Zentralbibliothek Zürich - About us · Zentralbibliothek Zürich - Wikipedia · Bibliothèque centrale de Zurich - Wikipedia · Biblioteca centrale di Zurigo - Wikipedia · checked 4 Nov 2026
- Website
- zb.uzh.ch/
- Phone
- +41 44 268 31 00
Questions and answers
What are the opening hours of Zentralbibliothek Zürich?
It is open Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 20:00, on Saturday from 09:00 to 17:00 and on Sunday from 09:00 to 19:00.
How long does a visit to Zentralbibliothek Zürich take?
A suggested visit to the Zentralbibliothek Zürich lasts under one hour.
Where is Zentralbibliothek Zürich?
It stands in the old town at Zaehringerplatz 6, 8001 Zürich, near the university and beside the Predigerkirche.
How many items does Zentralbibliothek Zürich hold?
Its stock is about 7.2 million items, among them journals, microforms and sound recordings.
Can one library card be used across member libraries at Zentralbibliothek Zürich?
Yes. Its membership in the IDS network gives access to all member libraries with one user card.
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