Stadtbücherei Coburg

The Stadtbücherei Coburg is the public library of the Upper Franconian town of Coburg. It sits in the centre of the old town between the market square and the palace square, in a building at Herrngasse 17. The library has grown around this address since 1967, when it moved from a cramped youth hostel to the new site. The library began in 1874 as a people’s library run by the local art and crafts association. It closed in 1923 for lack of space and funds, but reopened under city management in 1928. After the Second World War it moved into the rear wing of the Palais Edinburgh. In 1967 it became a modern open-access library, letting readers browse the shelves themselves. Children’s and music sections were added in the 1980s and 1990s, and a branch still serves the hospital. Inside, the main lending area holds more than 84,000 books, audiobooks, films and music CDs. A separate music department stocks scores and recordings. The library also offers digital loans through the Franken-Onleihe scheme. Visitors can sit in reading corners or borrow items to take home. The building itself, with its light-filled rooms, forms a quiet corner of the historic town centre.