Turicensia – focus on Zurich
“Turicensia” is a general term for everything related to Zurich’s cultural heritage. We collect media from 1800 onwards on the history, politics, economy and culture of the city and canton of Zurich (“Turicensia”) and make them accessible to the public.
Open and Citizen Science for Citizen Researchers and Communities
Do you undertake research into regional topics, family history or local history? We can support you in your work or provide information and advice on searching. "Open Access" is of prime importance to us, which is why the Zentralbibliothek has developed the Zurich Open Platform (ZOP), an Open Access repository to support research activity beyond academic institutions. This platform combines our mandate to collect national cultural data and our commitment to free access to information for all. ZOP contains digital cultural heritage data from the Zentralbibliothek and other knowledge and heritage organisations like the cantonal Departments for the Preservation of Historic Buildings and for Archaeology.
Turicensia
Outreach
Providing access to our holdings and cultural mediation are key tasks of our Turicensia Department. Explore fascinating exhibitions in our Turicensia space. The Turicensia Lounge and its reference library are the perfect place to browse and discover. Twice a year it hosts our series of events «Zürich im Buch».
You can also find us online. Check out:
Zurich Bibliography
Want to find out more about the place where you live? Writing a biography or a historical novel? The Zurich Bibliography is a key source for Turicensia and a treasure trove of information about Zurich’s regional and cultural history. Our workshops offer advice about using the Zurich Bibliography and help with your personal research.
Gottfried Keller Bibliography
Are you interested in Gottfried Keller? The writer and politician from Zurich is a major focus of our collection. His literary oeuvre and research literature are documented as completely as possible in the Gottfried Keller Bibliography.
Turicensia Lounge – for everything about Zurich
In our Turicensia Lounge reference library you will find a wealth of non-fiction books on topics related to Zurich as well as fiction by writers from Zurich, plus periodicals and regional and local newspapers.
Publishers’ book archives
The Turicensia Department holds about 90 publishers’ book archives from Zurich-based publishers. Publishers’ programmes reflect the cultural and economic conditions of literary production but also reveal their distinct thematic and design identities.
The Lion Monument with a view of the harbour
From the topical to the curious and unusual: we’ve got Zurich covered
Turicensia: we hold publications by and about every commune in Zurich.
Turicensia: print bearing the coats of arms of all the main communes in the canton of Zurich in around 1900. With a decorated frame.
Turicensia: we administer the book archives of over 30 Zurich-based publishers.
Turicensia: the names of numerous Zurich publishers in a word cloud.
Title page of the Bülach communal chronicle for the year 1901 with the old coat of arms (used until 1931): party per bend argent and gules with the grill of St. Laurence argent
Holdings
The collection of Turicensia since 1800 comprises titles on Zurich as well as media by writers based in Zurich and publications that appeared in the canton of Zurich. It includes:
- fiction and non-fiction
- films and audio books
- grey literature
- newspapers and periodicals
- open access newspapers and periodicals
- communal chronicles, city chronicles, necrologies, annual reports
- publishers’ book archives
- Web Archive Switzerland (Contact the Zentralbibliothek information desk to obtain access)
- dissertations, habilitations and master’s theses from the University of Zurich
Cataloguing
You can find the following Turicensia holdings here:
- Zurich Bibliography
- Gottfried Keller Bibliography
- Turicensia Lounge: reference library
- Publishers’ book archives
- Web Archive Switzerland (Contact the Zentralbibliothek information desk to obtain access)
History of the holdings
One of our main tasks is to collect media from and about Zurich. The basis of the cantonal library that was established in 1835 was the library of the dissolved canon monastery. To this were added the holdings of the University of Zurich, the Gymnasium Library, the Industrial School and the Veterinary School. In 1863 the cantonal library acquired the library of the former Benedictine monastery at Rheinau. When the city and cantonal libraries merged to form the Central Library, the new institution also acquired the Zurich collections of the city library and the holdings of various libraries of Zurich-based societies. Today, all the departments of the Special Collections collect, archive and provide access to Turicensia. The Turicensia Department was set up in 2013 to focus more intensively on the post-1800 holdings of the collection.