The FID office
The Specialised Information Service for Middle Eastern, North African and Islamic Studies is part of the Near East / Ethnology Branch Library of the University and State Library of Saxony-Anhalt and is located at Mühlweg 15 in Halle (Saale). The library shares the building with the Oriental Institute of the MLU. With its garden, bay windows and, above all, the striking tower, the villa is still a striking location that often arouses the interest of its visitors.
The history of Mühlweg 15
The villa was built in 1902 according to plans by architects Albert and Ernst Giese. The new building in the style of Historicism was intended to serve as a new home for the lawyer and notary Dr Hermann Kaehne and his family, which is why Mühlweg 15 is still known as Villa Kaehne today.
After Dr Kaehne’s death, the building changed hands several times and was transformed from a tenement into a guest house that hosted many national and international guests, including Walter Ulbricht and Nikita Khrushchev. After being sold by the Kaehne heiress, the land and building finally became the property of the University of Halle in 1973, which had been renting the building since 1967.
This was followed by extensive renovation work in 1999-2001, after which both the Oriental Institute and the University and State Library moved into the villa as a branch library for the Middle East / Ethnology, including the library of the German Oriental Society. The libraries’ book collections were relocated to the basement, which was converted into a magazine. As this stock has grown over time, the storage area was extended in 2010. The new stacks are connected to the old section and are located under the garden. In total, Mühlweg 15 houses over 223,000 items, including books, newspapers and magazines, various data carriers and objects.
Although the media are now borrowed from the branch library on the Steintor campus, users can continue to use the reading room on the ground floor for their academic work. The reading room with its large windows, dark wood tones and book shelves reaching up to the ceiling is an ideal place for studying and researching. Only a library card from the ULB Saxony-Anhalt is required for access and use of the lockers.
Although media is now checked out via the branch library on the Steintor campus, users can continue to use the reading room on the ground floor for their academic work. The reading room with its large windows, dark wood tones and book shelves reaching up to the ceiling is an ideal place for studying and researching. Only a library card from the ULB Saxony-Anhalt is required for access and use of the lockers.
The Specialised Information Service for Middle Eastern, North African and Islamic Studies has also been located on Mühlweg since 2016. The proximity to the Oriental Institute enables a daily exchange between science, teaching and the library.
Further information can also be found in the Wikipedia entry on Villa Kaehne:
Villa Kaehne