The Vienna University Library was founded in 1365 and has had a library ever since. Today’s Vienna University Library brings together nearly 40 former departmental libraries, the main library and the University of Vienna’s archives.

Since 2004, the Vienna University Library has been systematically examining its holdings as part of its research into Nazi provenance. More than 400,000 items have been examined and documented for further research. The aim is to investigate acquisitions of concern and, where appropriate, to return them to their rightful owners.

Provenance research forms part of the University of Vienna’s ‘Third Mission’ and is integrated into its wide-ranging activities relating to the culture of remembrance. The further development of provenance cataloguing, as well as library training and continuing professional development, are also among the areas of work.

The results are consistently recorded in the catalogue and can also be searched via the Austrian Union Catalogue. The provenance research team has so far been able to restitute more than 2,000 volumes. In addition, there have been returns of objects from the university’s collections, which were also examined as part of the provenance research and identified as Nazi-looted property.

 

Vienna University Library
Historical Collections and provenance research
Universitätsring 1
1010 Vienna

https://bibliothek.univie.ac.at/provenienzforschung.html

 

Head: Dr. Christina Köstner-Pemsel, MSc
Email:provenienzforschung.ub@univie.ac.at
Phone: +43-1-4277-15066