Alte Bibliothek

Historic Mitte

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Berlin's first library is a baroque beauty commissioned by Frederick the Great to shelter the royal book collection. Completed in 1780, its design mimics the St Michael's Wing of the imperial palace in Vienna. It's commonly known as Kommode (chest of drawers) because of its curvaceous facade.

The building has been home to the Humboldt University's law school since 1910. Lenin used to hit the books here in 1895, as is commemorated by a glass window in the Reading Room created by Frank Glaser in 1968. Note that on Saturday and Sunday the entrance is at Unter den Linden 9.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Museum island on Spree river and Alexanderplatz TV tower in center of Berlin, Germany

    Museumsinsel

    0.36 MILES

    Walk through ancient Babylon, meet an Egyptian queen, clamber up a Greek altar or be mesmerized by Monet's ethereal landscapes. Welcome to Museumsinsel …

  • Neues Museum und Alte Nationalgalerie (right) at Museumsinsel in Berlin.

    Neues Museum

    0.32 MILES

    For over 60 years, not a soul was able to visit Berlin’s Neues Museum – in fact, it sat in ruins. But today it’s one of the city’s most celebrated…

  • The Museumsinsel in Berlin

    Pergamonmuseum

    0.38 MILES

    The Pergamonmuseum is one of Berlin’s most visited historical gems and perhaps also its most controversial. This museum offers an archaeological time-warp…

  • BERLIN, GERMANY- October 15, 2014: Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed starting on 13 August 1961. East Side Gallery is an international memorial for freedom. October 15, 2014 in Berlin

    East Side Gallery

    2.19 MILES

    The East Side Gallery is the embodiment of Berlin’s grit and guts.

  • Berlin city Germanyu 1610343451

    Fernsehturm

    0.75 MILES

    Germany's tallest structure, the TV Tower is a Berlin icon.

  • Schloss & Park Sanssouci

    Schloss & Park Sanssouci

    17.16 MILES

    This glorious park and palace ensemble is what happens when a king has good taste, plenty of cash and access to the finest architects and artists of the…

  • Schloss Sanssouci

    Schloss Sanssouci

    16.87 MILES

    Frederick the Great's famous summer palace, this rococo gem was designed by Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff in 1747 and sits daintily above vine-draped…

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Nearby Historic Mitte attractions

1. Bebelplatz

0.04 MILES

The heart of a cultural centre envisioned by King Frederick the Great, austere Bebelplatz is infamous as the site of the first full-blown public book…

2. Reiterdenkmal Friedrich der Grosse

0.06 MILES

Seemingly surveying his domain, Frederick the Great cuts a commanding figure on horseback in this famous 1850 monument that kept sculptor Christian Daniel…

3. Staatsoper Unter den Linden

0.07 MILES

Berlin’s opulent state opera was commissioned as the royal opera house by Frederick the Great and designed by his friend and master architect Georg…

4. Deutsche Bank KunstHalle

0.07 MILES

In this small, elegant exhibition hall, Deutsche Bank presents changing high-calibre exhibits of contemporary art, especially from emerging art centres in…

5. St Hedwigs-Kathedrale Berlin

0.09 MILES

This copper-domed church (1773) was commissioned by Frederick the Great, designed by Knobelsdorff, modelled after the Pantheon in Rome and named for the…

6. Humboldt Universität zu Berlin

0.12 MILES

Marx and Engels studied here, and the Brothers Grimm and Albert Einstein taught here: Humboldt is Berlin’s oldest university, founded in 1810 in a palace…

7. Französischer Dom

0.14 MILES

The 1705 Französischer Dom was built by Huguenot refuges and consists of two buildings: the soaring domed tower and the attached Französische Kirche …

8. Palais Populaire

0.14 MILES

Contemporary art, culture and sports activities are the focus of this gallery sponsored by Deutsche Bank and set within the updated rooms of a rococo…