The city library emerged from the library of the Volksbildungsverein and was opened as a municipal library in 1941 in Salzburg’s Mirabell Palace. In its opening year, it was supplemented by a library for young people. In 1961, the America House handed over a book bus to the city library, of which the third generation is currently in use. In 1993, the media library was opened as a separate branch, which also included a music department.
In 2009, a new city library was opened on the site of the former stadium in Lehen. In the urban development project under the name Neue Mitte Lehen, which also includes shops, an event hall, a senior citizens’ centre and apartments as well as a park and a so-called market square, the main library, the children’s and youth library and the media library were brought together in one building. The aim was to improve the quality of stay, additional services (research, Internet access) and a customer-oriented presentation of the media (information portals, topic consolidation). In July 2013, the Salzburg City Council decided to integrate the panorama bar, which cantilevers above the building at a height of 32 metres, as a reading lounge and event venue.
