The Anhalt library of Dessau combines the traditions of two library branches: the "City Public Library",founded in 1898 and the "Anhalt State Library", founded in 1922. Additionally it is the Regional Library of Anhalt and also serves as an information, communications, and education center for the city and region.
Leopold I of Anhalt-Dessau planned for his three youngest sons, Moritz, Eugen, and Dietrich to build their own city palaces. The city palaces for Moritz and Eugen were built between 1739/40 and 1740/41 respectively, and the palace for Dietrich was not built until 1747-1752.
After the death of Fürsten Dietrich in 1769 his palace baceme under the pocession of Fürsten Franz from 1777 to 1793 and was later given to the Philanthropium (Dukal School). In 1793 the palace was placed in the pocession of Princess Henriette Analie who died in the same year. Following her death the palace remained in pocession of the Amalie Foundation.
Her painting collection could have be placed in the highest floor, however this did not happen until 1927. The paintings were moved to the newly constructed Anhalt Art Gallery because the top floors of the palace were renovated in order to make appartments.
Dietrich’s palace was one of the few historical housed to survive World War II and it was later made into Friedrich’s High School and a Dukal School. After 1950 it was given meny new uses and names: "The House of German-Soviet Friendship" (until 1962), a vocational school for "VEB" train cars (until 1972), and the Majakowski Youth-County Club House (until 1986). After 1987 the palace was reconstructed in order to include the contents of the library and today includes the Science Library of the Anhalt Library of Dessau.
Georg III, from Anhalt-Dessau (1507-1553), Domprobst in Magdelberg, Bishop Merseberg, a friend of Luther and Melanchthons, was the most important collector for the library, and thus, the library was named in his honor. The library has belonged to the "Anhaltischen Landesbücherei" located in Dessau, since the 16th century.
Today, the library has 453 volumes, 1,710 printed titles and 237 handwritten books. The "Fürst-Georg-Bibliothek" is a closed dukel book collection of special importance and has the essence and character of a scholarly library of the 1600s. (A point of importance, at this library, is Theology.)
Worth mentioning, are the collection of works by Luther and the writings of other reformation and antireformation critics. The expensive book bindings and bibliophile enhancements provide a view of the artistry of the time. The collection is organized through a handwritten catalogue from the 20s; however, the catalogue does not list all of the works that were bound together in the collection.
The 500th birthday celebration for Georg III can be located at: 
www.georg3.de
All the libraries became part of the "Anhaltische Landesbücherei" in the 1920s; the libraries suffered significant losses in the second world war.
During its first year the "Anhaltische Landesbücherei" purchased estates from individuals and institutions, all of which hold a special meaning for Anhalt. Today the following estates can be found in the library:
Prince Leopold Franz had bought the piece of land for 1050 Talers. He tore down the dilapidated house and in the zear 1792-1795 he erected a three story classically stzled building by the design of Friedrich Wilhelm von Erdmannsdorff. In 1795 Prince Franz gave the house to his son that he had with Johanne Eleonore Hoffmeier, Duke Johann Franz George von Waldersee. In 1823, after the death of the Duke, the ownership of the land went back to the main creditor, Herzog Leopold Friedrich. The board of directors of the girls school that was founded in 1786 bought the house for 7266 Taler, the exact sum of the mortgage. On August 15, 1825, the girls school could move into the renovated house.
Located in the front of the house were the living quarters for the principal and teachers. The actual school was located in the back of the house. The living seperation lasted until the new organization of the school in Dessau in 1869. Only then could the ‘Higher Girls School’ move to the front of the house. The middle school for girls would be established in the back of the house. The girls school had been made a part of a seminar for the education of female teachers and lecturers and moved in 1884 to a new building on Antoinettenstraße. There was also room in the front of the house made for the public girls school. Soon this space wasn’t sufficient and they constructed a new large school building on Flössergasse. In March of 1945 the new school building burned down. Today in that spot there is a "Sekundarschule am Rathaus".
Three historical book collections create the Special Collections, which today includes around 12,000 volumes. In this collection you can find the oldest and most valuable books – including handwriting and ink production from the Middle Ages.
The Special Collections includes:
www.gbv.de
In 1992, against the backdrop of the historical collections of the Anhalt Regional Library, in which are collected not only significant collections of texts from all eras, but also important examples of "book art," the effort was first undertaken to build a collection of “Art Books” spanning the entire history of the art form, from the middle ages to the modern day. Most important for the early years of purchasing were "art books" from the DDR period and the years leading up to the reunification. Special efforts were also made to gather titles relevant to the primary subject of the library´s existing holdings, i.e., literature from and about the region of Anhalt.
Since 1997, the gathering of art books of regional interest has entered into the duties of the Ministry of Culture. The Anhalt Regional Library has cultivated close contact with artists, agents, and publishers, soliciting offers, specifying the criteria appropriate for such designations as "book art", "Work from artists from Sachsen-Anhalt", "Relevant to the Region" and "Relevant to pieces already in the collection" and recommending items for purchase by the Ministry of Culture. Important works of book art originating in other countries are also occasionally recommend for purchase. As a rule, works are also purchased for the development of cataloges from individual artists, making possible insights into their entire bodies of work.
In this way, a regional collection has grown up that provides information about the history of artistic production of this type in our Bundesland.
With the support of the state, many of the pieces collected have been featured in exhibits, both in the chambers of the Anhalt Regional Library and also in a representative exhibition sponsored by the Anhalt Art Society in the Anhalt Painting Gallerie.
Outside of these activities, selected new acquisitions are presented yearly in the research library.
Loans for outside exhibitions are also always possible.
The pieces of the collection remain, furthermore, ready for viewing by all interested parties in the Lesesaal.
For further information on these works, please consult www.gbv.de.
