Ludwig Geiger Library

Ludwig Geiger (1848-1919) was born in Breslau on June 5, 1848 as the son of Rabbi Abraham Geiger. He studied Philology and History in Heidelberg, Göttingen and Berlin. He completed his habilitation under the supervision of Leopold von Ranke in 1873 and subsequently worked in Berlin as a literary and cultural historian. His research focused on literature of the Renaissance, Humanism, late Romanticism, Theater History, and works on Johannes Reuchlin, Jacob Burckhardt, and Francesco Petrarca.

His special concern was research on Goethe. As early as 1880, Ludwig Geiger founded the Goethe-Jahrbuch ("Goethe Yearbook"). In 1908 he was appointed Geheimer Regierungsrat ("Privy Councillor"). He was active as a representative of the Jewish congregation as well as in political positions.

Ludwig Geiger died in Berlin on February 9, 1919. His library was a donation to the district of Berlin Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. In 2006, this library of 7,300 volumes was transferred to the Moses Mendelssohn Center.