Zentral- und Landesbibliothek Berlin (ZLB)

Entering costs nothing, the ID for all of Berlin ten Euros

The Central and State Library Berlin on Breite Straße is perhaps the city’s most underestimated cultural offering, and it deliberately makes it easy for visitors: The building can be entered and largely used without an ID or payment. Those who want more can get the annual pass for 10 Euros, or 5 Euros reduced. It’s free for children, anyone with a student ID I, recipients of state transfer payments, and refugees. Crucially, this single ID covers a lot: It is valid throughout the network of Public Libraries of Berlin, allows sixty borrowed media per district simultaneously, and also opens up digital offerings with e-books, e-papers, magazines, as well as film and music streaming. In addition, there is free access to a whole range of databases. A reading room pass, which allows ordering items from the main and external archives to the public areas, is even completely free of charge; it also includes the use of computer workstations.

Berlin Collections, a Record Player, and Events with Free Admission

The building on Breite Straße is more than just a lending location. In the reading room of the Berlin Collections, you’ll find special material about the city, along with newspapers and magazines, and a microfiche collection that dates back a long way. In the foyer are non-fiction bestsellers, followed further back by specialized collections on natural sciences, medicine, economics, as well as municipal science and law. There are numerous workspaces and reading areas, as well as computer workstations, and a cafe. Two things even regulars often don’t know: Behind the information desk, there’s a record player, and there’s a dedicated cabin for viewing films. Those looking for events will also find what they’re looking for here, as the house charges no admission; for some formats, only registration is required. For people with visual impairments, reading devices are available at both locations of the Central and State Library, free of charge. Connectivity is excellent: U-Bahn stations are located at Museumsinsel, Alexanderplatz, Märkisches Museum, Rotes Rathaus, and Hausvogteiplatz, the S-Bahn stops at Alexanderplatz, plus bus lines 200, 147, 248, and 265.