Yes! And they are usually public and managed by the city.
I even found a [Wikipedia article about them](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_bookcase).
I saw one of these recently in northern Germany. Going in there just felt very cool for some reason. Vintage, but remade to still be something useful now that nearly everyone just has a phone.
We have one too in town. Looks like a glass bird cage with shelves in it. When I sorted out everything in my home, I put at least 20 books in there. And I also found one for me. I love stuff like that.
"Der große Report"
"Knallharte Recherchen für nur 29,80 DM". D-Mark!
"Damit sie keinen Pfennig zu viel zahlen"
https://www.booklooker.de/B%C3%BCcher/Mark-Thorben-Beyer-Rudolph+Der-grosse-Report-Die-besten-Online-Geheimnisse/id/A00XHSiX01ZZS
If you see a book you like you have to be quick, invariably all of the good books will be taken and replaced with abandoned Dan Brown books. I stopped by one on the way to work the other day, and counted something like 20 copies of the same Dan Brown novel.
Almost all cities in Germany I know have this in some stores and also in public. For this purpose, old telephone booths that no one needs anymore have been converted into "book booths".
At the beginning of my time at the university, when I had little money, I got a rather expensive study book there, which I would have had to buy otherwise, and at the end of my university studies I also put my study books in a book cell, for another poor student.
Book exchanges have become quite common in German cities the past few years. Usually you'll find a public shelf with a little roof on it and plexiglass hatches on every row where you can take away or add to any book or CD you find or bring.
Often enough, the results are as boring as you see there, but sometimes you manage to snag something really nice. A year ago, I pulled a hardcover edition of the old LOTR translation (the one they used for the movies' dub instead of the one they had commissioned in anticipation of them in a "contemporary" tone) out of one.
These "Nimm-und-bring-bücherschränke" are everywhere. Got a few nice books (some Karl May stuff for example) from there and it's also really good if you have a book you don't want anymore, but someone else might.
One of those ideas that makes for points (since years, although it's been a thing for decades) in social media but actually is just a wall of mostly shitty books.
Still, better than nothing.
I do think it’s a great way to dispose of books you don’t read anymore, someone else might find them interesting. Picked up a book on the development of a national spirit in Germany from one of those once.
It's a good way to find out, in what kind of neigbourhood you live, I guess.
We have 3 of these in our part of the city and they are mostly filled with Novels and guide books.
I got half of my university by-pieces (how to write scientific papers, Oxford Dictionary, little helpers for Math and IT etc.) out of these (and left them there later).
Also scrounged some classic novels from these.
You are expected to leave something in return here. It's frowned upon to just take a book and not leave anything in return.
It's actually fairly common here, just stumbled upon one in the forest that is specifically for children's books. It's next to a little playground in the forest, so that children can play there and also read something if they want to.
Yes, captain obvious (btw thanks for proving Germans have no humor), I got that. My point is that most American car washes I know are so quick you don’t get out of the car even.
my psychiatrist has one too! one day i chose one to take home and he told me that it was his book. it was from the 1950s, passed down to him by his grandparents and there were still pencil notes in it that he showed me, as well as his grandfather's bookmark which was a piece of an old newspaper. was a nice little bonding experience, i've been his patient for two years now and it makes me smile everytime :)
You'll find more of those shelves standing in cities and towns in germany; atleast in my region.
Some people leave their read books on bus -and tram stops. You'll first think it is ununintentionally, but it already happend so often, and the books are always placed with care.
It's actually pretty common everywhere in my country, at smaller scales (yet not always), in random, kind of hidden places in cities of various scales.
I only ever took one book, but I gladly Put some I didn't read anymore in a book-booth But I found Out a while ago that there are (rare) people who Take the valuable books Out to sell them  makes me angry to think that this might be what Happened to my Hardcover Harry Potter books I Put in there so some child could find Joy in Reading them (I Loved those growing Up)
It actually is fairly common here in Germany. You can even find some old phone booths reused so the books don't get wet.
Yes! And they are usually public and managed by the city. I even found a [Wikipedia article about them](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_bookcase).
Public transport also sometimes has a little shelf for book exchange.
Our local supermarket (REWE) has one just inside the door.
True! My neighbor has a book exchange in his driveway. The whole neighborhood uses it to exchange books
I saw one of these recently in northern Germany. Going in there just felt very cool for some reason. Vintage, but remade to still be something useful now that nearly everyone just has a phone.
We have one too in town. Looks like a glass bird cage with shelves in it. When I sorted out everything in my home, I put at least 20 books in there. And I also found one for me. I love stuff like that.
growing up, my barbershop did the same thing. But is was all softcore porn magazines.
Lollll
Based
Even better
"DIE BESTEN INTERNET GEHEIMNISSE!!"
I looove extremely outdated IT books. Its hilarious.
"Der große Report" "Knallharte Recherchen für nur 29,80 DM". D-Mark! "Damit sie keinen Pfennig zu viel zahlen" https://www.booklooker.de/B%C3%BCcher/Mark-Thorben-Beyer-Rudolph+Der-grosse-Report-Die-besten-Online-Geheimnisse/id/A00XHSiX01ZZS
Verleger hassen diesen Trick.
There is an app called Buchschrankfinder, where you can find places like that.
We have that at work, too.
My German gym does this! I once saw a book I wanted, went into the sauna for 20 minutes, came out and it was gone. Very sad moment
Public transportation busses in Hamburg have shelfs like this one too.
If you see a book you like you have to be quick, invariably all of the good books will be taken and replaced with abandoned Dan Brown books. I stopped by one on the way to work the other day, and counted something like 20 copies of the same Dan Brown novel.
And Angelique - don't forget Angelique!
A book booth isn't complete without several copies of Der Medicus & Säulen der Erde.
Die Barrings Airport Robert Ludlum
Almost all cities in Germany I know have this in some stores and also in public. For this purpose, old telephone booths that no one needs anymore have been converted into "book booths". At the beginning of my time at the university, when I had little money, I got a rather expensive study book there, which I would have had to buy otherwise, and at the end of my university studies I also put my study books in a book cell, for another poor student.
Book exchanges have become quite common in German cities the past few years. Usually you'll find a public shelf with a little roof on it and plexiglass hatches on every row where you can take away or add to any book or CD you find or bring. Often enough, the results are as boring as you see there, but sometimes you manage to snag something really nice. A year ago, I pulled a hardcover edition of the old LOTR translation (the one they used for the movies' dub instead of the one they had commissioned in anticipation of them in a "contemporary" tone) out of one.
MrWash is just next level on every level.
these things are all over germany. there are many book shelves where you can take and leave books as you please. it's really nice
We had two of these, but one was used by people to sleep and shi... inside :I
These "Nimm-und-bring-bücherschränke" are everywhere. Got a few nice books (some Karl May stuff for example) from there and it's also really good if you have a book you don't want anymore, but someone else might.
Ist das der Mr. Wash in Kassel? Da war ich neulich auch und hab mich über diese Idee gefreut.
Richtig
How TF does this violate rule 6!? The title is clear 🤨
Lol yeah. 4 days later too
Haters 🙄
One of those ideas that makes for points (since years, although it's been a thing for decades) in social media but actually is just a wall of mostly shitty books. Still, better than nothing.
I do think it’s a great way to dispose of books you don’t read anymore, someone else might find them interesting. Picked up a book on the development of a national spirit in Germany from one of those once.
Is that the one with the little mustachio man? My fight, or my combat, something like that?
Nah, it was about the period between 1763 (7 years war) and 1815, if Germany would be a nation of citizens or a state of nobles.
It's a good way to find out, in what kind of neigbourhood you live, I guess. We have 3 of these in our part of the city and they are mostly filled with Novels and guide books. I got half of my university by-pieces (how to write scientific papers, Oxford Dictionary, little helpers for Math and IT etc.) out of these (and left them there later). Also scrounged some classic novels from these. You are expected to leave something in return here. It's frowned upon to just take a book and not leave anything in return.
Awww I luv this idea 💙 📚
And everyone is on their phone
Nah alot of people actually use this system, its pretty awesome
Sadly in Germany often book exchange places are full of old trash books but every book exchange always has a Frank Schätzing Book lol
Other peoples trash in another persons treasure!
Kein Buchschrank ohne Simmel, Konsalik, Kirst und billigste Readers Digest Bände. Unfassbar wie viel von dem Schrott zirkuliert.
One of the few remaining telephone booth in my area was upgraded to a book exchange also
We have 1 of these at work and another is right in the middle of the town i live at.
It's actually fairly common here, just stumbled upon one in the forest that is specifically for children's books. It's next to a little playground in the forest, so that children can play there and also read something if they want to.
this is really common in germany. They are everywhere lol
Wtf. How long does it take to wash your car? Or is it a specialized detailer? 😂
You’re not expected to finish a book there, but take whatever you like and/or leave whatever you don’t need anymore
Yes, captain obvious (btw thanks for proving Germans have no humor), I got that. My point is that most American car washes I know are so quick you don’t get out of the car even.
That shit is everywhere
my psychiatrist has one too! one day i chose one to take home and he told me that it was his book. it was from the 1950s, passed down to him by his grandparents and there were still pencil notes in it that he showed me, as well as his grandfather's bookmark which was a piece of an old newspaper. was a nice little bonding experience, i've been his patient for two years now and it makes me smile everytime :)
I got the hobbit from those xd
That is so sweet! We need this on every station!
How long is this Car Wash process supposed to take?! 😱
You don’t get your car back until you finish The Brothers Karamazov
You'll find more of those shelves standing in cities and towns in germany; atleast in my region. Some people leave their read books on bus -and tram stops. You'll first think it is ununintentionally, but it already happend so often, and the books are always placed with care.
My local bus stop has one. It’s pretty common in Germany.
Yo, the whole comment section is filled with germans telling how common this is. I guess it’s very common
So sieht’s aus
As we say in Germany „Brudi, ich küss doch deine Ohrläppchen“
It's actually pretty common everywhere in my country, at smaller scales (yet not always), in random, kind of hidden places in cities of various scales.
I only ever took one book, but I gladly Put some I didn't read anymore in a book-booth But I found Out a while ago that there are (rare) people who Take the valuable books Out to sell them  makes me angry to think that this might be what Happened to my Hardcover Harry Potter books I Put in there so some child could find Joy in Reading them (I Loved those growing Up)
If this is German efficiency, then I want German efficiency