Library
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The State Hall was originally home to the entire holdings of the Court Library. The space of the book cupboards is enough for about 200,000 volumes. Worthy of special mention is the library of Prince Eugene, 15,000 volumes in the middle oval of the Hall bound in red, blue, and yellow Moroccan leather. The rich holdings of the Court Library came from various sources: Habsburg collections, purchase from famous libraries, donations, obligatory deliveries, purchases at book fairs, and from the time of Gerard van Swieten (von 1745 – 1772, prefect of the Court Library) systematic purchase of new literature from bookshops. With its historic holdings in a library hall that is unparalleled in presenting the universality of knowledge, the Austrian National Library is among the world's most important libraries. |
