75 years after its division (the  end of World War II was the turning point) and 30 years after German reunification, the map department was the last of the special departments to be reunited in the refurbished site Unter den Linden.

In the maps reading room, which is back at its traditional place, there is a rich potential for research in holdings of more than 1.2 million maps, ca. 250,000 electronic maps, 155,000 views, 34,000 atlases and 800 globes.

Reference literature in the maps reading room offers direct access to specialist publications which are shelved according to a regional and subject classification.

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The map department has been a separate department since 1859, the collection of cartographic materials dates back to the foundation of the library in 1661. Being Germany's major centre of cartographic holdings, the department acquires, catalogues, and holds items from all countries and all parts of the world:

• Maps
• Atlases
• Globes
• Topographic views
• Cartographic literature