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| Amerika Haus
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The History behind America House Munich The American Military Authority created the "American Reading Room," the first establishment of its kind in the world, at Beethovenplatz in Munich in October of 1945. The library and its limited collection were opened to the public the following January. A donation of German Exile Literature helped increase its collection, supplementing the estimated 500 American books and 20 magazines already available there. The steadily-growing library relocated twice before settling into what is now the Music Conservatory on Arcisstrasse. It was not until October of 1947 that it was officially named "America House," by then a library containing over 36,000 volumes in addition to magazines, a record and film department, reading room, children's library, concert hall, lecture- and classrooms, and generous exhibition spaces. The center's activities were financed by the United States Military and later by the United States Information Agency (USIA) in Washington, D.C. with the primary post-war objective of "re-education." The start of the Cold War caused its initial objectives to modify over time, but today, the cultural aspect of the establishment remains at the forefront. America House, an institution working to enhance the cultural life of Munich and its surroundings, receives an average of 80,000 visitors monthly. In May of 1957, architect Karl Fischer designed, and the State of Bavaria erected, America House's current building at Karolinenplatz where the Lotzbeck Palace once stood. Initially a tool for American Government broadcasting, the institution became a forum of German-American intellectual discussion over time. America House's influence now spans well beyond the city limits because of its broad cultural and informative services. The U.S. government ended all USIA activities at America House in June of 1997 as a result of federal savings measures. The American Consulate General was put in charge of carrying out its services in the meantime. For the first time in its history, the institution's future was called into question. Thanks to the "Friends of America House" Society, America House's services were continued until its successor, the "Bavarian American Center in America House," opened up a new chapter in America House history. The Bavarian American Center in America House Munich was founded in January of 1998 with the mission of promoting relations and of strengthening scholarly debate between Germany and the North and South American continents. American author Thornton Wilder visited America House Munich in 1955, stating what continues to be establishment's ongoing goal, "May the America House continue to be a place where our two countries so sympathetically progress in understanding each other."
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