The Bethlen Gábor Documentary Library in Aiud (Nagyenyed) has once again been operating under the auspices of the Transylvanian Reformed Church District since 2005. The library currently holds 60,000 volumes, made up of several different collections. In addition to the core collection, it houses the theological library, the Old Hungarian Library (Régi Magyar Könyvtár), the Mikó Library, the manuscript collection, and collections of periodicals, photographs, ephemera, obituary notices, and school yearbooks. Together, these make up the pre-1948 collection of the library of the Reformed College of Nagyenyed. The reading room also contains a reference collection, which may be used on site only. The library’s origins date back as far as 1622. It currently operates as a historic monument library in its original location, on the first floor of the Bethlen Gábor College. A school library also operates within the building as a separate entity, serving the current needs of the college’s educational activities. The main purpose of the documentary library is the preservation, processing, utilization, and accessibility of the collection for research. The library’s holdings are currently being expanded through donations. The collection may be consulted on site only. Lending is not available.

Today the library is developing dynamically. It is an active participant in local cultural life. Its activities include organizing book launches, author-reader meetings, and exhibitions, as well as hosting tourist groups. In addition, it supports researchers’ work by publishing source editions and by exploring the collection as thoroughly as possible, which it considers a top priority.

The library’s detailed history can be read here.

For group library visits and individual research, advance registration is required in all cases at the following email address: bibliothecabethlen@gmail.com

The library is open Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.