It was in Halle when I first heard the term Kulissenbibliothek. After I visited the Library Hall of the Francke Foundations, I understood the meaning of this word. The position of the bookshelves reminded me of the sceneries (Kulissen) in a theatre. [German]
The Kulissenbibliothek in Halle
The library was founded by August Hermann Francke for the teachers and pupils at the schools of the Francke Foundations. With its opening in 1728, it is regarded as Germany’s oldest preserved secular library building.
Even though the purpose of the Francke Foundations were to run an orphanage, the book collection of the Kulissenbibliothek quickly rose to be comparable with libraries of universities. Even Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a big admirer of this library.