The History of Leibnizhaus
 

The original Leibnizhaus stood at Schmiedestraße No. 10. With its richly decorated facade of 1652 it used to be one of the most important town houses in Germany. Between its first mention in the early 14th century, the first stage of a gothic precursor, and its complete destruction during the Second World War in 1943, the house underwent a number of alterations and conversions. From 1698-1716, Leibnizhaus was the home of Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716), one of the last universal scholars and polymaths of the old Europe. In Paris and London, Leibniz had been in contact with the leading mathematicians, philosophers and natural scientists of his time. Yet he conceived his essential philosophical and mathematical ideas in Hannover. Moreover, he had a profound influence on the systematic organisation of culture and education and inspired the sciences of jurisprudence, history, and religion. At the Elector’s Court, open-minded and widely travelled Leibniz worked as advisor, Court Librarian and genealogist. The Court Library of Hannover, then situated in the historical Leibnizhaus, was a precursor of the present Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Library (GWLB).