How do libraries in Ukraine operate in times of war? The answer to this question is revealed in the exhibition ‘Words in Flame’, which opens on 1 August 2026 at the Greifswald Central University Library.

The exhibition documents the crimes committed by the Russian Federation against Ukrainian culture and against all Ukrainians who create, support and revive it. But it is also a symbol of the struggle and the desire to renew, read and further develop culture despite everything.
Many Ukrainian libraries have been razed to the ground by Russian troops. By the summer of 2025, 214 libraries had been completely destroyed and 904 damaged. 561 have lost their entire collection and 1,492 are left without any books at all. These figures have already been updated three times, and new stories have continually been added to the exhibition.
Only a tiny percentage of the severely damaged libraries have been rebuilt. Thanks to the support of local communities, donors and volunteers, 211 libraries are currently back in operation.
Destroyed libraries are not being abandoned. They live on through the dedication of librarians who are committed to ensuring that their communities are heard, made known and remembered. For libraries pass on history and preserve it. Ukrainian libraries remain true to themselves. The Ukrainian library community will continue to bear witness.
The exhibition was conceived by the Artists Support Ukraine Foundation in cooperation with Library Country, designed and organised by the Ukraine Contact Group of dbv Section 4, and funded by the Berufsverband Information Bibliothek e.V. (BIB) and the Verein Deutscher Bibliothekarinnen und Bibliothekare e.V. (VDB).
The exhibition is in German and English and can be visited until mid-October during the opening hours of the Greifswald Central University Library:
Monday–Friday 8.00 am–10.00 pm, Saturday–Sunday 9.00 am–10.00 pm.
Admission is free.