The Ernst Abbe Library has been honoured as “Thuringia’s Library of the Year 2024” – an achievement that resonates far beyond the region and at the same time sends a strong signal for contemporary library concepts. The ceremonial award presentation took place on March 14, 2025, in the new building at Engelplatz. (rathaus.jena.de)
Concept, not a backdrop
Notably, the award explicitly recognises not the architecture alone, but above all the content concept and the work of the team. This brings into focus an aspect that is also crucial for modern interior architecture – spaces only function sustainably when they are conceived programmatically.
The jury highlights the library as a “vibrant place for communication and encounters”. (rathaus.jena.de)
A standard that must be reflected in the design as much as in day-to-day operations.
From lending venue to urban meeting place
The library’s development exemplifies how public spaces are being transformed:
From a traditional lending library to a multifunctional “Third Place” – with a high quality of stay, digital services, and social relevance.
The award-winning qualities include, among others:
- a wide range of services for different target groups
- new spatial zones such as youth areas or open lounge spaces
- the consistent integration of analogue and digital use (stadtbibliothek-jena.de)
This transformation is also reflected in the figures: according to the library management, visitor numbers have tripled – a clear indicator of the concept’s acceptance. (rathaus.jena.de)
Long-term planning, lasting impact
The path to today’s library was long and complex. The new building was only completed in 2024 and is based on a fundamental content-driven relaunch of the institution. (Wikipedia)
The fact that this process is convincing not only architecturally but, above all, conceptually is now confirmed by the renewed award – the library was already honored in 2005. (rathaus.jena.de)
Relevance for the industry
For planners, interior architects and fit-out specialists, the project is a clear reference example:
What is needed today are no longer purely functional spaces, but identity-forming places with a high quality of stay, flexibility and social impact.
The Ernst Abbe Library shows how design, furnishing and the usage concept can be combined into a coherent overall system – and how crucial the right spatial dramaturgy is.
Conclusion
The award underscores a fundamental shift: libraries are no longer quiet book repositories, but urban platforms for exchange, education and community.
Or, as the library itself puts it:
“The whole world in one house.”
rathaus.jena.de
Planning: pbr planungs- und beratungsgesellschaft mbh
Furnishings: Entenza Neue Kollektive
Photos: Karoline Krampitz