The Studienbibliothek Dillingen

The Studienbibliothek Dillingen (Dillingen Research Library) serves as regional state library for the provision with academic literature for research, study, professional work and personal education to the region of Northern Bavaria.

The Studienbibliothek originated in the collection of books held by the University of Dillingen, founded in 1549 in the wake of the Counter-Reformation. In 1563, it would become the first Jesuit library on German soil. The university was directed up to 1773 by the Jesuit order. It represented a centre dedicated to the training of priests, which was influential well beyond the borders of the Prince Bishopric of Augsburg and of Southern Germany. Until its dissolution in the year 1803, c.30.000 students completed their studies in Dillingen.

In Dillingen, the second residence of the Augsburg bishops, episcopal book collections had always been stored. During the course of the secularisation and after a period of longer-lasting confusion, the Bischöfliche Hofbibliothek (episcopal court library) was finally taken from Augsburg to Dillingen in 1804. Hofbibliothek and Jesuitenbibliothek (Jesuit library/university library) were united during the restructuring during the first half of the nineteenth century. They contain around two thirds (20,000 volumes) of the old stock.

Equally in the wake of the secularisation, several northern Swabian monastic libraries arrived in Dillingen. Back during the period of selection on-site as well as by means of selling off duplicate copies in the middle of the nineteenth century, some of these collections were heavily diminished. Nonetheless, the libraries set up separately of the Benediktinerkloster Elchingen (Benedictine monastery of Elchingen, district of Neu-Ulm), of the Augustinerchorherrenstift Wettenhausen (Augustinian monastery of Wettenhausen, district of Günzburg) and of the Benediktinerkloster Fultenbach (Benedictine monastery of Fultenbach, district of Dillingen) provide respectively valuable insights into the monastic history and culture of northern Swabia.

From 1965 situated in the location of the former Jesuitengymnasium (Jesuit secondary school), the Studienbibliothek with the opposite buildings of the Studienkirche (church belonging to the seminary), Jesuitenkolleg (Jesuit seminary) and Universität (university, today academy for continuing teachers' education and personnel management) forms the "lateinisches Viertel" (Latin quarter) of the Dillingen Altstadt (historical city centre). In its former location, in the former Jesuitenkolleg, remained to the end of the historical ensembles the collection of books of the late Baroque library hall (1737/38).

The Studienbibliothek Dillingen is subordinate to The Bayerische Staatsbibliothek (Bavarian State Library).

Collections owned by the Studienbibliothek Dillingen available on bavarikon

Contact

Studienbibliothek Dillingen
Kardinal-von-Waldburg-Straße 51
89407 Dillingen an der Donau

Telephone: +49 (0)9071/2860
Fax: +49 (0)9071/72544
E-mail: studbib@bndlg.de