In addition to its core services, the State and University Library Bremen (SuUB) also holds exhibitions at the library.

Many of the exhibitions are staged in cooperation with other institutions, while others are organized exclusively by the SuUB. These exhibitions explore the history and background of the library, and present special holdings. Exhibitions are open to the public during our regular opening hours and admission is free.

Current exhibition(s)

"More than just a few acres of snow" (Volaire).
French Literatures, Cultures and Linguistic Diversity in Canada
14.3.2023 - 12.5.2023 at the SuUB Head Office

Exhibition in cooperation with the Bremen Institute for Canadian and Québec Studies (BIKQS).

Previous exhibitions

Scheduled Time. History of printed calendars in Bremen
17.1.2023 - 5.3.2023 at the Head Office of the SuUB

Exhibition curated by Dr. Maria Hermes-Wladarsch (SuUB Bremen).

FRIEDO LAMPE 1899 - 1945 : On the Life and Work of an Important Bremen Writer
30.11.2023 - 8.1.2023 in the Zenrtale of the SuUB

Exhibition curated by Dr. Johann Günther König.

Out to the country to learn - 100 years of Bremen school hostels
7.10. - 13.11.2022 in the Zenrtale of the SuUB

Travelling exhibition by Geschichtskontor Kulturhaus Walle Brodelpott e.V. and the Bremen School Museum.

The most beautiful German books
30.5. - 17.6.2022 in the Art Department Library

The touring exhibition of the stiftung buchkunst Buchkunst shows the 25 award-winning books of the year 2021.

The Invention of Biology: Gottfried Reinhold Treviranus and his Estate at the SuUB
30.11.2021 - 26.3.2022 extended until 22.5. in the exhibition room of the central library

The exhibition is dedicated to the life, work and legacy of the Bremen physician and naturalist Gottfried Reinhold Treviranus.
The focus is on his estate preserved in the SuUB Bremen.

WHY? Why
22.3.3022 - 31.7.2022 in the foyer of the Head Office

Travelling exhibition on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the University of Bremen.

The most beautiful German books
1 - 26.6.2020 in the Art Department Library

Travelling exhibition of the Stiftung Buchkunst

"Image Propaganda in the Weimar Republic"
22.11.2019 - 4.1.2020 in the foyer of the SuUB

In the context of the conference " "Prodemocratic Propaganda, Press Culture and Political Communication in the Weimar Republic" of the Lab Kommunikationsgeschichte und Medienwandel (ZeMKI -Universität Bremen) the SuUB shows original documents from the private collection of Prof. Patrick Rössler (Uni Erfurt)

"Denn bin ich unter das Jugenamt gekommen" Bremen Youth Welfare and Home Education 1933 - 1945
4.4. - 28.5.2019 in the foyer of the SuUB

The SuUB is showing the travelling exhibition of the Diakonisches Werk Bremen e.V.

The Bremen Bilderbogen. Popular Prints in the 19th Century
7.11.2018 - 31.1.2019 in the foyer of the head office

The SuUB presents the restored unique large-format printed sheets from its holdings

"Oh look, and who kisses me?" Marion's book
7.9. - 10.10.2018 in the foyer of the Central Library

Exhibition accompanying a book about the Baruch family's happy life in Hamburg before it was destroyed by National Socialism.
The family is in the context of the restitutions of the SuUB, which resulted in a collaboration with the grandson Lior Oren (grandson of Helga Baruch).

Justus Möser: Politician and Publicist
17.5 - 24.7.2018 in the foyer of the Head Office

Travelling exhibition of the Erich Maria Remarque Peace Centre in Osnabrück on the life, work and impact of Justus Möser.

The most beautiful books 2017
4 - 29.6.2018 in the Art Department Library

Touring exhibition of the Stiftung Buchkunst

Clear as glass: exhibition on the new glazing of the Bremen papyri
19.2. - 12.4.2018 in the foyer of the SuUB Head Office

Exhibition on the Re-glazing of the Bremen Papyri

Brought to light.Provenance research and Nazi looted property at the State and University Library Bremen
23.10. - 15.12.2017 in the foyer of the SuUB Head Office

Exhibition on the current research project funded by the German Centre for the Loss of Cultural Property.

Faith and Politics. Documents on the Reformation in Bremen.
25.9. to 29.12.2017 in the foyer of the State Archive Bremen.

Exhibition project in cooperation with the State Archives Bremen.

Carl Dantz - school reformer and author of children's books.
An appreciation of the Bremen reform pedagogue on the 50th anniversary of his death
17.8. to 8.10.2017 in the foyer of the head office.

Exhibition project with the School Museum Bremen and the University of Education Karlsruhe.

The most beautiful German books 2016
19.6. to 7.7.2017 in the Art Department Library

Touring exhibition of the Stiftung Buchkunst

80 Years of the Spanish Civil War. A search for traces
7.2. - 31.3.2017 at the Head Office

Exhibition with series of events commemorating the Spanish Civil War

shapeshifting texts
3-5.11.2016 at the Head Office

Exhibition in the framework of the International Conference on Digital Media and Textuality

The most beautiful German books 2015
17.5. to 3.6.2016 in the Art Department Library

Touring exhibition of the Stiftung Buchkunst

Bremen family books of the 17th - 20th century
24.11.2015 to 18.3.2016 at the SuUB Head Office

Family books from various estates kept at the SuUB

Lubok. Linocuts from the workshop carpe plumplum, Leipzig 2007-2015
7.9. - 16.10. 2015 . in the Art Department Library

Presentation from the holdings of the Art Departmental Library

Drawings
15.6. - 10.7. 2015 in the Art Departmental Library

Presentation from the holdings of the Art Departmental Library

The mouse is amazed. Bremen Visions and Legends
27.3.2015 - 6.6.2015 at the SuUB Head Office

Exhibition in cooperation with Bremen museums on everyday history.

Albert Camus: digital, interactive and multilingual exhibition.
30.3.2015 to 30.4.2015 at the SuUB Central Office

Exhibition in cooperation with the Institut français as part of a cooperation for the cultural festival jazzahead!

Picture books
12.1. - 20.2.2015 in the Art Department Library

Presentation from the collection

Comic / Caricature
16.3. - 24.4.2015 in the Art Departmental Library

Presentation from the holdings of the Art Departmental Library

Sea distress rescuers: 150 years of the German Society for the Rescue of Castaways
7.11.2014 - 14.3.2015 in the SuUB Zenrtale

The exhibition traces the development of the DGzRS from its origins to the present in six milestones.

Bremen & its Press in the First World War
2.10. to 29.10.2014 at SuUB Head Office

The exhibition deals, among other things, with the question of what role the local press played for the "home front" Bremen.

"With good wishes for your participation in the campaign" Bremen and its academic library in the First World War
13.5. to 6.6.2014 in the Bremische Bürgerschaft (Bremen Parliament)
16.6. to 7.9. at the SuUB Head Office.

The exhibition deals with the history of the library during the First World War.

Devalued, marginalised, killed: Medical crimes against children under National Socialism
17.01. to 3.3.2014

The exhibition deals with "euthanasia" crimes against children in Bremen under National Socialism and is presented in cooperation with the KulturAmbulanz Bremen.

Papyri Digital: The Apollonius Archive at the SuUB Bremen, 18.10.2013 to 12.01.2014

The Bremen State and University Library owns 84 papyri, the Übersee-Museum another three. This small but outstanding collection of the Apollonius Archive from the 2nd century AD was given to the library in 1903 by the Bremen merchant Hermann Melchers.

The "Bremen papyri" were digitised between January and June and linked to the transcriptions and translations by the papyrologist Ulrich Wilcken.
The exhibition shows the path from the oldest to the newest source material in libraries. The presentation of original papyri, which are regularly replaced in the exhibition for reasons of conservation, is unique.

Interested visitors can now access these precious and oldest pieces of writing freely online in the SuUB's Digital Collections portal.

"The Art of Pictorial History. On the Prehistory and Early History of Comics. From the Middle Ages to the 20th Century", 19.7. to 5.10.2013.

The exhibition is inspired by the art exhibition: Kaboom! Comics in Art. On display is an exemplary selection from the numerous artistic pictorial narratives that predate the comic. It is based on the book and illustration material available at the SuUB. The exhibition was created in collaboration with the Weserburg / Museum für moderne Kunst and curated by Dr. Guido Boulboullé.

"De Gaulle and Adenauer: The Founders of Franco-German Friendship", 30.5. to 10.07.2013.

The SuUB presents this travelling exhibition (curated by the Fondation Charles de Gaulle and the Stiftung Bundeskanzler-Adenauer-Haus) in cooperation with the Institut Français Bremen on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Élysée Treaty. Complementary work results by Prof. Helga Bories-Sawala.

bookArt, netWork, handWORK, 15.3. to 26.04.2013

Joint project on book objects under the direction of the Oldenburg artist Doris Reske.

Awarded. German Literature Nobel Prize Winners in Portrait, Head Office on the Unicampus, 10.12.2012 to 15.02.2013.

With his drawings, the Dötlingen artist Hans-Dieter Haren shows his view of well-known greats of German literature (history).His graphics are not a pure copy of a model but the result of an intensive examination of the motif.

Interweavings - The University and the City, Headquarters on the University Campus, 6.08. to 15.10.2012

Photo exhibition on "40 years of the University of Bremen" in cooperation with the University Archive

"Your photo of the SuUB", Central Office on the University Campus, 02.07. to 27.07.2012

The SuUB presents selected entries of the photo competition "Dein Foto von der SuUB".

Unispitzen, Central Office on the University Campus, 01.02. to 28.03.2012

Second station of the large-format touring exhibition with photos of top women from the university

A leafy forest on the Devil's Moor, Central Office on the University Campus, 14.10. to 02.12.2012

Literature of different genres on the Devil's Moor against the background of the historical development of the landscape.
From the first descriptions of the 19th century, numerous stories and novels of the period from 1900 onwards, through Low German literature to the "rediscovery" of the subject in recent times.

"Fair A Gender? Gender Reflections at the University - A Student Project", 12.04. to 02.05.2011 on Level 3 of the Central Office

Students of History, Cultural Studies and Sociology conducted qualitative interviews with their fellow students about gender roles, gender justice and discrimination at the university.
They were supported by the Central Commission for Women's Issues (ZKFF).
The interview statements as well as photos and background information are presented on posters.

Zurückgeblättert - Children's books and childhood in the German Democratic Republic, 15.12.2010 through 31.01.2011, Central Library, University Campus
In cooperation with the Institut für Bilderbuch- und Erzählforschung at Bremen University.

The Bibliotheca Bremensis: an academic library and rarity cabinet, 29.09 - 10.12.2010, Central Library, University Campus
This exhibition highlights the history of the Bibliotheca Bremensis. Founded in 1660 and comprised of a number of individual collections, the Bibliotheca supplied the Gymnasium Illustre, a higher educational institution in 17th century Bremen, with academic literature. The exhibition portrays the relationship between the library and the academic systems of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Historical newspaper and press research in Bremen, 17.08 - 24.09.2010
This exhibition takes a look at the historical press of the 17th century; a period which also saw the founding of Bremen's Bibliotheca Bremensis. The study of this century, in which the foundations of our modern media system were laid, has long been the special focus of the "Deutsche Presseforschung" (German Press Research); a research department of the State Library established in 1957.

Spaces of Knowledge, 16.06 - 31.12.2010
The stairwell at the State and University Library Bremen spans all four levels of the library, forming a conduit that connects users with knowledge from a range of disciplines. This installation visualizes the immense volume of queries directed at the library, questioning the function of these spaces of knowledge in an age of increasing isolation while also rendering visible the aesthetics of this archive.
Concept and realization: Prof. Roland Lambrette together with students from the Faculty of Arts and Design and the Faculty of Digital Media at the University of the Arts Bremen.
For more information: http://wandernimwissen.wordpress.com/

Poetical Sciences, 23.04 - 31.12.2010
The SuUB is proud to present a selection of artists' books from the collection of the Research Centre for Artists Publications.
In this exhibition we show how artists push the conceptual boundaries of art, touching on science, history and poetry as they explore both the complex relationships between texts and images, and the role of the book as a medium for ideas, investigations, thoughts, narratives, and poetic writing. Artistic rationality is poetic. Concept and realization: Prof. Dr. Michael Glasmeier, Institute of Art and Music Studies, University of the Arts Bremen.

An ocean of knowledge: nautical sciences and shipbuilding at the University of Applied Sciences and SuUB, 15.04 - 31.05.2010, Branch Library for Economics and Nautical Sciences
This exhibition is staged by the State and University Library in cooperation with the Faculty of Nature and Engineering at Bremen University of Applied Sciences.
The exhibition presents an overview of the role of shipping and shipbuilding in Bremen, and features a range of exhibits from the old holdings of the State and University Library Bremen, including lavishly illustrated textbooks from the old Bremen Maritime College and a selection of contemporary literature from the Branch Library for Nautical Sciences. Exhibits from the collection of the University of Applied Sciences bring the history of shipping in northern Germany to life.

Kaputt : preserving historical books, 12.02 - 31.03 2010
This exhibition showcases a selection of the valuable manuscripts and precious early prints from the SuUB's historical stock, and highlights the challenges faced by our restoration laboratory in preserving and restoring these literary and cultural treasures.

The world of writing, 18.09 - 17.10.2009
This eye-opening exhibition presents a range of lettering systems that many European visitors, who are only familiar with Latin script, will find strange and 'exotic'. The scripts on display include Chinese, several Indian scripts, Egyptian and Mayan hieroglyphic scripts, and the much mystified and misused runic script. Staged as part of the Festival of Language, this exhibition is a joint venture of the SuUB Bremen and the Department of Linguistics at the University of Bremen.

A hidden legacy: Looted cultural property at the State and University Library Bremen Robbery   Research   Restitution, 11.06 - 31.07.2009
In 1991, books confiscated from Jewish emigrants during the 1930s as they fled from persecution by the National Socialist regime were discovered among the holdings of the State and University Library. The books they left behind were then sold off at so-called "Jewish Auctions". The State Library, which held a right of first refusal, is known to have purchased approximately 1,500 such books.

The most beautiful German books, 11.05 - 05.06.2009, Branch Library at the University of the Arts, Faculty of Art and Design, Am Speicher XI. Nr. 8, Bremen   
A beautiful book is "an exemplary work, both in terms of its design, concept, and craftsmanship". Each year the book art foundation Stiftung Buchkunst, based in Frankfurt/Main and Leipzig, commissions a jury to select the books that best embody this ideal. This year's award winners included "Lesen und Schreiben - Auf die Idee muss man erst mal kommen", a project by University of the Arts Bremen alumni Jen Schulz, crafted by Feine Papierwaren (Tale Jo König).

The metamorphosis of books, 20.04 - 29.05.2009
Featuring a selection of objects from the Petersen Collection alongside original works from the historical holdings of the State and University Library, this exhibition is an exploration of the cultural history of books.

Read more! Posters designed by schoolchildren from Bremen, 27.08 - 15.12.2008
The exhibition shows a selection of works created by tenth grade pupils from Bremen's Kippenberg-Gymnasium and entered into the 55th European Art Awards under the motto: "Germany reads - a European literary festival in your city".

Monuments of sound: musicological editions in Germany, 15.04 - 20.06.2008
This exhibition showcases a selection of world renowned musicological editions.
These unique editorial editions offer succinct insights into key musical works from the past two hundred years. Editorial editions contribute to the preservation of our musical heritage by safeguarding for future generations the notation as the central pillar of music practice and culture.

Guns instead of butter. Food supply and propaganda in the "Third Reich", 17.01 - 01.03.2008
An exhibition by Kiel's Municipal and Maritime Museum. The exhibition surveys food policy and the ideological tenets that shaped both the supply and distribution of foodstuffs, and their impact on life in Germany from 1933 through to 1945.
Food policy was an integral element of the German war economy and a driving force and instrument of NS extermination policies. The subject of "food" takes us to the very heart of NS ideology and the governance of the "Third Reich".

The beauty of Echternach book art, 30.11 - 07.01.2008
Bremen was home to the renowned Echternach Pericopes until the 18th century. This exhibition is the first showing of a recently published, lavish facsimile edition of the manuscript by Swiss publishing house Faksimile Verlag.

Papyrus texts of Ancient Egypt, 01.11.2007 - 05.01.2008
Bremen is home to a number of important papyri. The library is proud to present these holdings together with a number of significant loans in an exhibition that will offer a glimpse of life in Ancient Egypt ranging from family relationships in an Egyptian village at the time of the revolt against Emperor Trajan, to the work of an Egyptian official.

Carsten Colpe - the life and work of a theologian, 24.09 - 08.11.2007
On the occasion of the gifting of Carsten Colpe's academic library to the State and University Library Bremen and the international DVRW/EASR (Deutsche Vereinigung für Religionswissenschaft / European Association for the Study of Religions) congress in Bremen (23-27 September 2007), the Institute for Religious Studies is proud to celebrate the life and work of Carsten Colpe with an exhibition the lobby of the library.

Life stories. The fate of Christians of Jewish descent in Bremen after 1933, 24.05 - 30.06.2007
This exhibition documents the story of a population whose fate has largely gone unnoticed: Christians of Jewish descent living in Bremen during the Nazi dictatorship. The exhibition explores the lives of Jewish converts to Christianity and the children and grandchildren of converts.

Alexander von Humboldt in Spain - in cooperation with the Instituto Cervantes, 05.02 - 02.03.2007
Before journeying to the New World (1799-1804), Alexander von Humboldt spent six months in Spain, where he applied for a writ from the Spanish King, authorizing his explorations. During this time Humboldt made a major contribution to the geographic survey of Spain. The exhibition features facsimiles and reproductions of his diaries, maps, images of plants and animals, and a variety of documents drawn from Humboldt's journals. Organized by the Instituto Cervantes in Bremen, the exhibition also features a number of items from the collection of the State and University Library Bremen.

The merchant in German prose since 1750, Albert Di Gallo: collection and bibliography, 07.11. - 31.12.2006
In this exhibition the State and University Library proudly presents a special collection donated to the library in 2005 by Swiss businessman Albert Di Gallo. The exhibition examines the changing image of the merchant in German prose since 1750.

Books are fragile creatures, 01.12.2005 - 11.02.2006
Libraries are the guardians of our cultural heritage. In order to preserve this cultural legacy for future generations, the manuscripts and books held in our libraries require constant care and attention. In this exhibition the State and University Library Bremen offers visitors to the library a glimpse behind the scenes at the tireless efforts of the staff in the library's bookbindery and restoration laboratory.

Seligmann's books, 18.01 - 18.03.2005
Books tell stories. Sometimes books are silent witnesses to stories of human tragedy. This exhibition recounts the story of the discovery in the State and University Library in 1991 of 1,500 books taken from Jewish refugees.

[Re]claiming consciousness - truth and advertising, 28.06 - 12.07.2003
Senior students from the Department of Cultural Studies participating in a year-long project on globalization and subaltern counter-publics recently had the opportunity to explore the practice of Adbusting - the artistic and subversive appropriation of advertising images and content.
Under the expert guidance of Rainer Stollmann and Bernd Bullwinkel, the students created a range of photomontages, images, sound collages, videos and objects that are presented to the wider public in the present exhibition.

Books? Other books! 10.06 - 15.07.2002
As part of the collaborative exhibition "Books as Sculptures. Painters' Books - Artists' Books Part II" staged by Sparkasse Bremen and the Weserburg Museum, the State and University Library Bremen is proud to display a selection of similar works from its holdings.

Illustrated books of the Middle Ages - Lavish contemporary facsimiles of famous books, 12.03 - 30.04.2002

Bremer Platt and the works of Georg Droste, 04.01 - 01.03.2002
An exhibition by students of the Department of German Studies at the University of Bremen.
Topics:
- the use of Plattdeutsch in street names and inscriptions in Bremen
- Bremen's Bürgereid (citizen's oath)
- Georg Droste (1866-1935), his life and work
- Childhood in Ostertor and life in Bremen's outer suburbs as recounted in the works of Georg Droste
- Merchants and their offices in the Langenstraße scenes in "Ottjen Alldag un sein Lehrtied"
- Georg Droste and the Teufelsmoor, Ottjen Alldag's journey to Dannenberg

Wolfgang Borchert: his life, works, and impact, 01.11 - 19.12.2001
The exhibition features documents, photos, letters, books and other items from Borchert's literary estate. Original documents displayed in the exhibition are courtesy of the Wolfgang Borchert Archive of the State and University Library Hamburg, which was established 25 years ago.

The Dietrich Saga - A Visual Study, 10.09 - 27.10.2001
Produced by students participating in the seminar "Heroic sagas: a literary and visual study", held by the working group for "Literature of the Middle Ages and Humanism" in Department 10 of the University of Bremen, this exhibition spans the divide between folk tradition and scholarly research carried out in Bremen into the historical foundations of the Dietrich saga.

Celebrating the conference of the German Shakespeare Society, 25.04 - 23.05.2001
At the invitation of the bremer shakespeare company, the German Shakespeare Society (Weimar) will hold its 2001 annual conference in Bremen. On the occasion of this conference the State and University Library Bremen is holding an exhibition showcasing the highlights of this exciting international event.

Pirates of Madagascar, 01.02 - 28.02.2001
Sewing table pianos and wasp waists ... gender, fashion, freedom, 09.01 - 30.01.2001
In the 19th century the bourgeois family model restricted women's lives to the domestic sphere. The exhibition shows how their role was reflected in and reinforced by the clothing and fashions of this period. Corsets, crinolines and cripplingly "dainty" shoes not only restricted women's freedom of movement, they were also an indication of women's dependency and the lack of freedom they experienced.

Music in our city 1680-1832, J. S. Bach in Bremen - An exhibition by the Department of Music Education, 28.11 - 22.12.2000

Medieval manuscripts of the State and University Library Bremen in the Herzog August Library Wolfenbüttel, 08.11.2000 - 31.01.2001
To celebrate the cataloging of 124 of the State and University Library's medieval manuscripts, sixteen of these stunning works will go on show at the library. This remarkable exhibition, featuring manuscripts relating to the history of Bremen's libraries, medieval piety, and Roman and canonical law, will highlight both the diversity and beauty of Bremen's medieval manuscripts and their art historical significance.

350 years of newspapers, an exhibition by the German Press Research Center, 24.10 - 20.11.2000

Revisiting Giordano Bruno on his 450th anniversary: cosmologist, author of Ars Memoriae and semiotician, 03.02 - 28.02.1998

A selection of works from the Carl Georg Heise Library, in cooperation with the Theodor Spitta Society, 15.10 - 20.11.1990