The Hertziana Library, part of the German research institute Max Planck, is based in Rome at Palazzo Zuccari. Founded in 1913, it collects more than 300,000 volumes and a photo library with over 800,000 photographs, making it one of the most important documentation centers in the world on Italian art. Since 1994 part of the building dedicated to the library has been the subject of a complete demolition and reconstruction project by the architect Juan Navarro Baldeweg, giving rise to a "new" Bibliotheca Hertziana, modern construction in steel, crystal and travertine.
Biblioteca Hertziana History
The Hertziana Library, founded in 1913, following a legacy of the German patron Henriette Hertz in favor of the Institute for the Study of Italian and Roman Art (especially of the Renaissance and Baroque), is part of the German Society Institute Max Planck. It is located in Palazzo Zuccari sul Pincio, at the top of the Trinità dei Monti stairway.
An important passage in the history of the Hertziana Library took place between 1994 and 2013: in 1994, due to its static nature and lack of space, the Max Planck Institute decided to hold an international competition won by the architect Juan Navarro Baldweg. A transformation that has made it only partially accessible for a long time, but that in 2013 was reopened in a completely new form, with a development on several floors dominated by elements in glass, wood, steel. A restyling work that represented a real architectural challenge, both for the constraint of modifying the facades of the historic buildings present, and for the discovery of the remains of the Villa di Lucullo of 60.a.C which came to light during the works.
The library fund, consisting of more than 300,000 volumes, is a reference point for art historians from around the world, together with a rich collection of photographs, with over 800,000 documents.