Virchow Bibliothek May 2026

The library uses the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (Stabi) Catalogue.

  • The Stacks (Magazin): If the catalogue says "Magazinbestand" or location "1" (Haus Unter den Linden), you must order the book digitally.

    • The crown jewel of the library is its historical collection. Due to Rudolf Virchow’s prolific output, the library holds extensive original manuscripts, pathological drawings, and personal correspondence. The "Virchowiana" section is a magnet for historians of science studying 19th-century German medicine. virchow bibliothek

    The library subscribes to over 500 current print journals and provides electronic access to roughly 3,000 e-journals. The focus is unapologetically clinical: internal medicine, pathology, anatomy, physiology, and neurology. The library uses the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (Stabi)

    Access to the reading room is free for everyone. However, borrowing privileges require a library card. The Stacks (Magazin): If the catalogue says "Magazinbestand"

    For the weary medical student, the reference section is a lifeline. Here you will find multiple copies of key textbooks like Pschyrembel (the German clinical dictionary), Sobotta’s Atlas of Anatomy, and Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine.