Subject Collections
Throughout its history, the library has acquired a number of specialised collections that enrich its holdings today, including the Library Archive, the University's Portrait Collection, and the Records of the Nuremberg Trials.
Records of the Nuremberg Trials
SUB Göttingen holds one of Germany’s largest collections on the Nuremberg Trials. It comprises trial documents, photocopies, and microfilms relating to the International Military Tribunal and the subsequent Nuremberg Military Tribunals. Over time, the original collection has been expanded with additional contemporary sources and publications from other institutions.
Established in 1949, the ‘Nuremberg Apparatus’ (official title: Research Center for Occupation Issues) indexed and researched these records. While the collection is not fully catalogued, brief inventories or card indexes are available for certain trials.
Archive of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Lower Saxony
Founded in 1751, the Archive of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Lower Saxony is the oldest archive connected to the University of Göttingen. It is held as a deposit at SUB Göttingen. The Archive was established between 1753 and 1756 by librarian Georg Christoph Hamberger, building on earlier work by Johann David Michaelis, secretary of the ‘Königliche Societät der Wissenschaften’, and the Academy’s first directors, Samuel Christian Hollmann and Johann Matthias Gesner. Today, it holds around 60 meters of files, divided into five main groups covering the Academy’s organisation, members and staff, academic projects, and publications.
Library Archive
Founded in 1763 at the suggestion of library directors Johann David Michaelis and Christian Gottlob Heyne, the Library Archive of SUB Göttingen contains over 75 metres of historical material, spanning from the library's foundation in 1734 to the second half of the 20th century. The collection includes documents on library administration and organisation, budgets and finances, building and facilities, administrative reports, and records related to collections, donations, and acquisitions. It also preserves the library’s historical catalogues, accession books, and lending journals. The holdings of the Library Archive are gradually being catalogued in Kalliope.
Holdings of the Library Archive in Kalliope
University Portrait Collection
The University Portrait Collection includes over 3,400 images of Göttingen professors and other scholars. It was initiated in 1921 by Göttingen anatomy professor Max Voit, and is therefore also also known as the ‘Voit Collection’. After his death, the collection was taken over by the University Library, where it continues to be maintained today.
Holdings of the Portrait Collection in Kalliope
Schlözer Foundation
The Schlözer Foundation comprises a collection of books, manuscripts, sheet music, works of art, furniture and everyday objects that belonged to the von Schlözer family. Among its most famous members are August Ludwig von Schlözer, a prominent Enlightenment writer and professor at the University of Göttingen, and his daughter Dorothea von Schlözer. Dorothea was the first woman to be awarded a doctorate at the University of Göttingen, and the second woman in Germany to be awarded a doctoral degree.
Search the Schlözer Foundation
- The printed works from the Schlözer Foundation are listed in the electronic library catalogues GUK and GöDiscovery,
- whilst the manuscripts are catalogued in the Kalliope portal
- The art and everyday objects have been recorded in the University of Göttingen’s collection portal.
Search our Collections
For more information on databases and catalogues related to these subject collections, please consult the Search section. Detailed information on selected collections is provided in the Sammlungskatalog.
Use our Collections
Materials from the Special Collections may be requested and viewed in the reading room of the Historical Building. For more information, see: Visiting the Reading Room.
