Wienbibliothek im Rathaus: Vienna's City Library and Cultural Archive

The Wienbibliothek was founded in 1856 by the city parliament, led by Mayor Johann Kaspar Freiherr von Seiller, initially accessible only to city officers and focusing on juridical literature and Viennensia.

In 1889, shortly after the transfer from the old to the new city hall, the city parliament decided to separate the city archives from the library, which was merged with the Historical Museum of the City of Vienna.

Beginning in the second half of the 19th century, the City Collections significantly expanded through bequests and legacies from public, artistic, and scientific figures such as Franz Grillparzer, Ferdinand Raimund, Johann Nestroy, Karl Kraus, and Helmut Qualtinger.

In 1905, the collections of autographs and music were established as separate units within the department, following the general enlargement of the City Collections.

From 1923 onwards, the poster collection began to be administered separately, and from 1930, the documentation was also managed independently.

In 1939, the Wiener Stadtbibliothek and the associated museum were separated into new, distinct departments.

In 1977, the name was changed to Wiener Stadt- und Landesbibliothek to reflect Vienna's constitutional position as both a city and a state of Austria.

In 2001, 340 autographed music manuscripts by Franz Schubert and a nearly complete collection of his first editions were inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World International Register due to their historical significance.

In 2006, the library officially adopted the name Wienbibliothek im Rathaus, replacing its former name.

The library's significant Schubert collection originated from a bequest by the contractor and art sponsor Nicolaus Dumba and has grown to become the world's largest collection of Schubertiana.