Helena and Dr. Helmut Teufel Collection

When the couple Mrs. Helena and Dr. Helmut Teufel decided in 1997 to give a fabulous cultural and scientific asset in the form of a unique book collection into the hands of the University of Erfurt, which was only newly founded and reestablished in 1994, they laid the foundation stone, as it were, for the development of the holdings of today's University Library. This was not to be the end of the story; on the contrary, the Erfurt University Library has been in the fortunate position of being the home of this unique collection for more than two decades, which, in contrast to the more usual closed nature of donations, has developed in a highly prosperous manner. Thanks to the further targeted selection and development by Mrs. and Dr. Teufel, the collection is growing systematically, and through its updating it is shaping the stock, so to speak, and thus giving the Erfurt University Library a tangible profile.

As a collection of a comprehensive nature, it is an identity-forming component of the Erfurt University Library. In its continuity, the Teufel Collection stands at the same time against a science subject to individual evaluations, different profiles and historical changes. As a whole, it opens up the best possibilities for developing a targeted, context-creating view through networking with other sources and holdings of the university library. The collection's special profile in the humanities and cultural studies makes it a bridge builder between the different subject cultures. It unites monographs and journals, especially from the fields of Bohemian Studies, Moravian Studies, Jewish Studies and German History and Literature.

For research, teaching and study at the university, the collection is an extraordinary asset and an immense enrichment. For the Erfurt University Library, it is also a great obligation and esteem, as it represents like no other the scientific and cultural self-image of a young university library, which must be preserved and increased.

The library is supported by and works closely with the Förderverein "Sammlung Teufel"  (Universität Erfurt) e.V.