Gdańsk Tech Library until 1945 | Gdańsk University of Technology

The Gdańsk University of Technology Library was established in 1904, together with the University of Technology (then Königliche Technische Hochschule zu Danzig, during the Free City period and under the occupation with a changing name). It had a diverse book collection, corresponding to the diversity of the university's educational offer, which provided education in both the field of technical subjects and the humanities.

The library rooms were located on the ground floor of the main building of TH Danzig in the centre of the rear area. The warehouse had an area of approximately 200 m² (three floors with double Lipmann shelves, usable area for approximately 50 to 58,000 volumes), the reading room had 36 workstations (approx. 90 m²), the book rental was also the office of the library clerk (approx. 45 m²), and at the end there was a room for lecturers (approx. 28 m²).

In 1923, by the decision of the Senate of the Free City of Gdańsk, the University of Technology Library received the book collection of the Natural Sciences Society in Gdańsk, founded in 1742, consisting of approximately 30-35,000 volumes. It included, among others: valuable old prints and manuscripts, often white ravens. At this point, the Library's collection as a whole amounted to 100,000. volumes.

In 1924, the Library began interlibrary cooperation with the Municipal Library of the Free City: books could be read, ordered and returned in both institutions. Cooperation with the Municipal Library solved the problem of the lack of more items in the humanities.

As the Library grew, the corridors filled with books. Two additional rooms were added to the reading room, so that in the academic year 1929/30 there were approximately 100 workstations available.

In addition to the main library, 29 university institutes had their own library collections. In 1945, following professors leaving the city, the archives, part of the polytechnic equipment and valuable books from the Library's collection were evacuated by sea. Packed in 500 crates, they sailed on 27 January onboard of the ship "Deutschland" to Kiel. The collections that were taken to Germany mostly went to Schmalkalden in Thuringia. Some, mainly manuscripts and early prints, from the collections of the Natural History Society's library were found in the state (later university) library in Bremen. The collection of over 100,000 volumes that was not evacuated, burned in the main building. The same applies to most reference libraries of departments and institutes.