liberation

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Southwest view of Liberei
South gable with blind niches, decorative frieze and coat of arms
Southeast view
Unadorned north side with entrance and modern metal staircase (2006)

The Liberei , also called Liberey or Andreana , in Braunschweig is considered the oldest free-standing library building north of the Alps . It was built between 1412 and 1422 on Kröppelstraße in the Neustadt district , just a few meters south-east of the Andreaskirche . Through donations, among others from Johann Ember and above all Gerwin von Hameln , the library was known beyond the city limits and was considered one of the most important collections of books and manuscripts for more than 300 years until it was dissolved in 1753 in northern Germany.

The donation of 336 volumes by Gerwin von Hamelin in 1495 marked both a high point and a turning point in the history of the library. After Gerwin's death, there were disputes between the city council and Gerwin's heirs for decades, resulting in permanent damage to the building and books due to neglect and theft. Although contemporary scholars such as Johannes Bugenhagen in the 16th century or Hermann von der Hardt in the early 18th century pointed out both the importance of Liberei as a source of knowledge and its endangered state, its decline could no longer be stopped. In 1753 the remainder was transferred to a larger library. According to the current state of research, 137 volumes from Gerwin's estate have been preserved.

The ground plan of the chapel-like brick building is only 5.50 m × 5.14 m. The building was badly damaged in the Second World War and only restored from 1963. The Liberei is the only evidence of medieval brick Gothic in the city and is also probably the oldest surviving building in Germany that was built exclusively as a library. The building is now a listed building .

story

origin

The origins of the library date back to the end of 1309. Shortly before, Magister Jordanus , pastor of the Andreaskirche, had died and left his collection of 18 manuscripts to his parish church “ forever” in his will.

In the Neustadt Degedingbuch , the titles were listed individually and noted:

"Dit sint de boke, de mester Jordan, de pernere was to sunte Andreas, deme god gnedich si, heft ghegheven sine nakomelinghen unde eren cappellanen to erer nut to brukende. unde se scullen ewelike bliwen bi der parren. [...]"

- Heinrich Nentwig: The older books in Braunschweig. p. 19

“These are the books which Master Jordan, who was minister at St. Andrew, upon whom may God have mercy, gave his successors and their chaplains to use for their benefit. And they shall remain in the parish/diocese forever… […]”

The importance of this collection can be measured by the fact that his successors, above all Magister Bruno Luckemann as his immediate successor in office (1310-1336), had to sign a document to the dean of St. Blasiusstift as the owner of the patronage of the Andreaskirche, which not only individual titles of the stock, but also contained the obligation to keep them intact for the church and not to sell them under any circumstances. Finally, each successor had to pay a deposit for the library. The document signed by Magister Bruno on May 18, 1310, just under six months after the death of the library founder Jordanus, contains the oldest listing of the holdings.

Magister Bruno Luckemann was followed by Ortghisus, who signed a similar document on October 10, 1336 and took over four further titles from the possession of his predecessor. Ortghisus († 1358) was followed by Klaus von Solvede († around 1360) and Ludolf von Steinfurt († probably 1393), but from their time no information about the library has survived. Steinfurt's successor was Johann Ember.

Foundation, endowment

Ember, pastor of the St. Andrew's Church since around 1399, had a contract drawn up in 1412, a draft of which has been preserved. In it, the construction of a separate building for the library of the Andreaskirche is mentioned for the first time:

Reconstructed desk shelf for chain books on the 1st floor

"De anno domini M 0 CCCC 0 XII 0 / Ek her Johan Ember, ruler of the parrekerken sante Andreas to Brunswyk, / hebbe to ghetekent and gegheven myner vorscreven kerken to brukinge des perners / and syner cappelane ychteswelke boke to blivende in eynem / huse, dat me still buwen schal to ewyghen tyden, […] Wes / dar vorder to behof were to dem buwe des huses, dat wil ik, her Johan Ember, / eddir myne vormundere van mynem gude ghentzliken vulbryngen und utgheven, […]”

– Hermann Herbst: The library of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig. pp. 314-315

"In the year of the Lord M 0 CCCC 0 XII 0 [1412] / I, Herr Johann Ember, the director of the parish church of Sankt Andreas in Braunschweig, have dedicated and given to my aforementioned church for the use of the pastor and his chaplains some books [which] in are to remain in a house that is to be built for eternity, […] Anything else that is necessary to build the house, I, Mr. Johann Ember, or my managers/stewards want to finish my property completely and pay, [...]"

Johann Ember, a book lover and collector from the late Middle Ages , wanted to donate the building and pay for its construction costs. In addition, he undertook to expand the library holdings. Ember only asked the church elders to contribute ten marks. In addition, the contract regulated the storage modalities of the works. Each of the manuscripts was to be secured with a chain and stored on a desk . The keys with which the volumes could be removed from the chains were in the possession of the Neustadt council and the church elders. This group of people was also contractually responsible for maintaining an inventory of the library inventory and checking it several times over the course of a year. The key to the building itself was solely in the care of the respective pastor of St. Andrew.

Ember expressly decreed that the books should also be accessible to "all other venerable persons" in addition to the clergy of the city. Furthermore, he stipulated that – apart from himself – nobody was allowed to borrow or remove volumes. So it was a reference library . For himself, Ember claimed the right to be able to borrow a maximum of two books at a time, with the church elders having to be informed in advance. Finally, the document also contained two inventory lists with detailed descriptions, on the one hand of those manuscripts that had been in the church library from ancient times, on the other hand those that Johannes Ember had taken over from his predecessor Ludolf von Steinfurt, and finally a list of the inventory, which he himself intended to bequeath to Liberei . In it he not only specified the individual volumes with the works contained therein, but also described them in detail, e.g. B. Their external characteristics, such as binding material and markings, and whether the pages were paper or parchment . Texts that had no clear title or author were marked by an incipit by Ember .

In return for this generous endowment, it was contractually agreed that memorials would be held twice a year for Johann Ember and his parents in the Andreaskirche.

The "old people" of the Andreaskirche, that is, the church council, contributed ten marks to the construction costs, while Ember had undertaken to pay for the remainder. Around Pentecost 1413, the shell of the building should have been completed. But it was not until mid-1422, ten years after the start of construction, that the roof was covered and the interior furnishings installed. This significant delay in completion was caused by the so-called Brunswick Priests ' War. It is no longer possible to determine exactly when the construction work on the Liberei was completed.

After completion, it was an early type of " public library " and thus made the Braunschweig Liberei one of the first libraries on German soil that could be used by the general public. The already large stock of books in the Andreaskirche was included in it.

building and library stock

Section of the south side: double window on the upper floor, coat of arms and lion frieze
Lion frieze detail
Interior, 1st floor
Restored ribbed vault
Watercolor by Ludwig Tackes from 1855: Liberei is on the right edge of the picture.

On September 25, 1412, a contract between Ember, the Alterleute and the Lüneburg master builder Heinrich, Werner's son , regulated in detail what the building should look like and what materials it should be made of. The depth of the foundation, the building material ( teygelsteyne = brick ), the thickness of the walls, the number of windows and pillars , the type of vault and the construction of a stone staircase inside were determined. Pentecost 1413 was agreed as the date of completion.

The Liberei was built in the North German brick Gothic style . The building is of particular importance because it is the only medieval brick building in Braunschweig and at the same time one of the southernmost in the area where the brick Gothic style was spread. Back then, bricks were not used in the city – in Braunschweig, half-timbered houses were mainly built . Inside were two ribbed floors that were separately accessible from the outside. The basement was partly built into the ground and only had small double windows on the east side.

The building has Gothic stepped gables on both the north and south sides , with glazed molded stones and relief bricks , which particularly emphasize the verticals. In addition, there are profiled, pointed -arch blind niches on the south side . Below these runs a decorative frieze with 17 lions striding from right to left, turning towards the viewer, across almost the entire width of the building . It is not known whether this is the Brunswick lion or what the meaning of this frieze is. Below the frieze are three coats of arms . The purpose of this line of coats of arms, like that of the striding lions, has not been clearly clarified and is the subject of various speculations, e.g. B. in relation to the Priests' War and Ember's role in it. However, it seems certain that the coat of arms on the left is that of Duke Bernhard I (or the Blasiusstift). The middle one represents the Brunswick lion and symbolizes the council. On the far right is that of the person who commissioned the building, Pastor Johann Ember, whose name means tub or bucket and whose coat of arms accordingly shows three buckets.

delay in completion

As contractually agreed, the shell of the building was probably completed around Pentecost 1413. But only on April 25, 1422, ten years after the start of construction, does another document state that Ember and the church elders had agreed on the final completion of the building. Everything that was still missing to complete the work was explicitly mentioned in the document, namely stairs, windows, benches, desks, doors, roof and locks.

This ten-year delay was caused by the Brunswick Priests' War. This inner-city "war" between the Blasiusstift and the "Gemeine Rat" lasted from 1413 to 1420. However, it was not fought with weapons, but with words and church decrees as well as mutual bans . The trigger was the dispute over filling a vacant pastor's position at St. Ulrici , which subsequently led to another dispute over the establishment of two new Latin schools . This resulted in an inner-city dispute that lasted a total of eight years. During the war of the priests, numerous churches in the city, including the Andreaskirche, were closed. Because of a ban against Johann Ember this had in 1413 from Brunswick to the curia of anti -pope John XXIII. flee and was only able to return in 1420. In both churches there was no service at times for several years . This also explains the involuntary "construction break" of several years due to the blockade attitude of the Andreasgemeinde. The surviving documents do not support the fact that the foundation of Liberei was supposed to have been an act of " atonement " by Ember, as Meier and Steinacker suspect.

Exactly when the construction work on the Liberei was resumed, when it was completely finished and when the building was finally handed over to its intended purpose can no longer be determined. After completion, the Liberei was an early type of "public library" and thus one of the first libraries on German soil that could be used by (albeit a very limited group) the population.

The above-mentioned document of April 25, 1422 is also the last known document that was created during Ember's lifetime. A renewed bail document dated March 24, 1424 already calls Ember "deceased" and is signed by his successor Ludolf Quirre .

  • Ducal Coat of Arms

  • Council Coat of Arms

  • Probable coat of arms of Johann Ember

  • Glazed molded bricks on the south gable

Donation of Gerwin von Hamelin

Last page from Gerwin von Hamelin's will of September 23, 1495
Coat of arms of the von Hamelin family

Over a period of around 300 years, from the origin of the library under Magister Jordanus around 1309 to the end of the 16th century, the inventory of manuscripts, incunabula , etc. grew through purchases and donations .

The most important and extensive donation was that of the Braunschweig town clerk Gerwin von Hameln . At the same time, it marks the high point of the history of Liberei. Gerwin came from a respected Brunswick family that has been documented as citizens and homeowners since the beginning of the 14th century, first in the old town and later in other parts of the city. In 1438, at the age of about 23, Gerwin became town clerk of the town council and thus the highest official of the town. He held this position for more than 50 years. In 1494, when he was about 80, he wrote his will, which is still preserved today, and completed it on September 23, 1495. In it he left his collection of 336 books and manuscripts "myne liberie to sunte Andrease" expressly "as an eternal possession". The scope and quality of this collection were exceptional for the late 15th century, even beyond the borders of Braunschweig. None of the town clerk libraries of the 15th and 16th centuries that are known today can be compared to that of Gerwin von Hamelin. It was one of the most important private libraries of that time.

Gerwin's will states:

"Item all myne boke, de ik up myne liberie to sunte Andrease laughed hebbe, who eats in the valley drehundred ande sesundedrittrich [...] Ok moghen dusser liberie unde boeken gebruken darynne to students ande to reading de erliken gelarden people bynnen Brunswigk wesende darup to Ghande, wu, vake unde wan se des begherende sin, Geistlick unde Wertlick unde sunderliken des ersamen rade to Brunswigk doctors, licentiates, sindici, prothonotarii unde secretarii."

- Anette Haucap-Naß: The Brunswick town clerk Gerwin von Hamelin and his library. p. 297f

“Also all my books which I have deposited in my library at St. Andrew, which are three hundred and thirty-six in number […] Further, may this library and the books in it be used for study and reading by the honorable/noble learned persons resident within Brunswick who [can] go there as, where and when they wish, clergy and secular and especially the honorable Council of Brunswick doctors, licentiates, jurists, protonotaries and secretaries.”

Gerwin's collection consisted mainly of theological , canonical and Roman legal works, which had to be spread over both floors of the Liberei due to the large number. The library had grown so much as a result of the donation that the small building could hardly hold the volumes. In contrast to the earlier foundations by Magister Jordanus, who had decreed that the volumes would only be freely available to the priests of the Andreaskirche, and Johannes Embers, who had expanded the group of users to include "all priests and venerable people in the city", determined Gerwin von Hamelin expressly stated that his family members were allowed to borrow volumes, which nobody had been allowed to do before and ultimately contributed to the decline of the library.

Although the council did not accept the will, it nevertheless deposited it with the Neustadt council on December 29, 1496. Why the Council considers the will to be invalid is unknown. Meanwhile, Gerwin von Hamelin's collection remained in Liberei.

Liberei in the Judgment of Contemporary Scholars

In 1531, reformer Johannes Bugenhagen expressly referred to Liberei as a source of knowledge in his Brunswick Church Order .
The theologian Matthias Flacius used the library around 1555 for his works on church history .
The scholar Hermann von der Hardt visited Liberei several times around 1700 and lamented its deplorable condition.

Another, probably last, large donation of books came 84 years later, in 1579. This time the volumes came from the estate of Johannes Alßhausen, secretary of the Braunschweig city council. An inventory of the estate states:

"... and because Johan Alßhausenn happily gave all his books, small and large, and the tabulas mundi during his life to the Lieberey zur Kirchenn Andre in Braunschweig, written proof of this also exists, sealed to him [...]"

– Paul Lehmann: Gerwin van Hameln and the Andreas Library in Braunschweig. p. 572

"... and because the deceased Johannes Alßhausen gave all his books, small and large, and the Tabula Mundi [maps of the world] to the libery of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig during his lifetime, of which there is also written evidence sealed by him is […]"

At that time, Liberei already had the status of an important place of research and enjoyed a great reputation beyond the city limits. The reformer Johannes Bugenhagen , who was active in Braunschweig in 1528 , had recognized its importance and expressly referred to Liberei as a source of knowledge in his Braunschweig church order of 1531. Even at this point in time, however, its decline seems to have been clearly noticeable, because Bugenhagen wrote:

“The libery at St. Andres should not be allowed to lapse, but rather, over time, good books should be made more available, especially those that nobody has paid for […]. All lords of treasure chests in all parishes should be free to do this with their belongings.”

– Paul Lehmann: Gerwin van Hameln and the Andreas Library in Braunschweig. p. 571f

“One should not let the Lierei bei St. Andreas fall into disrepair, but rather, over time/gradually, acquire more of the good books for it, especially those that not everyone can afford […]. This Liberei with its accoutrements should be entrusted to all lords of the treasure chests in all parishes.”

Other scholars also used the library, such as the Protestant theologian Matthias Flacius around 1555 , who also noted that books were already missing from the library. Hermann von der Hardt , professor at Helmstedt University and librarian at the university library there , visited Liberei, which he called "Andreana", several times to look for material there for his work on the reform councils of Constance and Basel . In the preface to the third part of the first volume of his "Magnum oecumenicum Constantiense concilium" Flacius describes in detail what he found in Liberei. He was assisted by Heinrich Weiß, who had been pastor of St. Andreas since 1691 and formerly librarian of the Guelph Duke Rudolf August of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel . Hardt referred to what he found as "reliquiae," meaning "remains" of what made this library what it was and made it famous. On August 22, 1695, in a letter to the duke, he complained about the deplorable condition of the building and library holdings. On September 13, 1695, Hardt asked the duke: "How did things go with the Andreana in Brunswick, from which E. Serene Highness saved some good relics?" "Bibliotheca Rudolphea", the private library of Duke Rudolf August, which in turn was merged into the library of the University of Helmstedt in 1702 and finally into the Duke August Library in Wolfenbüttel . Another part in the library of Helmstedt University and a smaller part of the Liberei holdings probably went directly into Hardt's own book collection. When the library of his nephew Anton Julius von der Hardt , also a professor in Helmstedt, was auctioned off in 1786, it contained a number of works that belonged to Gerwin von Hamelin.

In 1714 the polymath Caspar Calvör wrote to his father Joachim Calvör, pastor at St. Andreas, about Liberei:

"Last time before the Reformation, secular priests and vicarii lived in it as a collegiate house and used the enormously large books that were locked on chains in the liberey or old library that was situated close to it."

– Hermann Herbst: The library of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig. p. 337

decline

building fabric

In the decades following Alßhausen's donation of 1579, information about Liberei gradually became scarcer. Most of the time it was about disputes between the descendants of Gerwin von Hamelin and the Neustadt council and the elderly of the Andreaskirche as to who was responsible for the upkeep of the building and for the care and security of the library stock.

Photo from 1893: View of Kröppelstrasse . In the center of the picture you can see the Liberei, which is erroneously referred to as the "brick chapel" in the picture description.

Gerwin von Hamelin appointed his nephew Gerwin Wittekop († 1510) to be the universal heir and executor . This was the major mayor of the Hagen district , which immediately borders the new town to the east. One of his grandsons was Heinrich Wittekop († 1608), councilman of the new town. Due to their special position in the city, Gerwin's descendants regarded both the building and the library within as their family property. This repeatedly led to disputes over many years. Several attempts were made by the New Town Council to use the Liberei for other purposes: in 1585 the council intended to convert the building into two sheet maker houses, but this was prevented by Heinrich Wittekop. On March 27, 1587, Wittekop complained in a harsh tone that both the preachers of the Andreaskirche, as well as the mayor and treasurer of the new town were "ungrateful" and "shamelessly" "sinned" against the foundation. Around 1600, a latrine was to be set up directly adjacent to the Liberei , which in Wittekop's opinion not only violated the city's building regulations, but also made further use of the library impossible due to the odor nuisance.

These ongoing disputes, most recently at the end of 1602 because of (allegedly willfully) broken window panes and the resulting ingress of rainwater, finally escalated: on December 22, 1602, the council issued an ultimatum to the Wittekop family to repair the damage caused by the end of the year. After the deadline had passed without the request to comply, the 76-year-old Heinrich Wittekop filed an objection on January 4, 1603 and at the same time rejected all guilt and obligations. As a result, the Wittekop family was finally deprived of the right of patronage to the Liberei. In the period that followed, the Liberei even seems to have been closed for a few years. After Wittekop's death, his descendants tried again in 1609 to assert claims, but were finally rejected. Since no one felt responsible for the upkeep of the building and library as a result of the disputes, Liberei gradually became so dilapidated that it finally fell to the New Town Council around 1700.

In 1753 the remains of the library were cleared out. The building then served as a wash house , later as a parish widow's house. It was not restored until 1862 by the city master builder Carl Tappe . After that, the Andreaskirche set up its registry there. Around 1941 the building was only used to store garden tools.

stock losses

1st page of a manuscript (around 1474) from Gerwin von Hamelin's library. His family crest can be seen on the left margin and the handwritten addition Orate pro Gherwio de Hamelen datore on the lower margin . The manuscript is now in the Brunswick City Library .

The gift of Gerwin von Hamelin was at the same time a high point but also a turning point in the importance of Liberei. Their gradual decline began soon after Gerwin's death. Although people in Braunschweig were aware of the importance of the library in scholarly circles outside the city limits, care and protection of the building and collection were neglected. The fact that the books were so well known also led to gradual losses through theft over the decades , since the books were still publicly accessible. Other book collectors stole works for their own libraries or volumes were stolen because the paper or parchment they contained could be reused.

It is not known how large the entire inventory of manuscripts was, since a number of works were lost during the lifetime of Ember and his successors, while new acquisitions were made at the same time. Herbst mentions “about 400 volumes, most of them in folio format ”. After Johann Ember's death, his successor Quirre initially managed Ember's estate, and he was also responsible for looking after the library. Almost nothing has come down to the history of Liberei from Quirre's time (1423-1463). He also appears to have been the last person, like his predecessors, to sign a bail bond upon takeover. From Ember he took over a stock of 52 volumes. The inventory list that Quirre signed is the most recent library directory today. The original is preserved as "Sunte Andreases Bok". A comparison of the inventories from Ember's time and the list that Quirre drew up when he took office in early 1424 makes it clear that works were already missing at this point in time. In addition, Quirre's statements are often inaccurate or even wrong. Often missing z. B. bound works.

Gerwin von Hameln had granted his descendants a special right in his will in 1496: they had the sole right to borrow volumes. A right that had only been granted once before, namely for Johann Ember, who had stipulated this right as a donor.

In 1753, Duke Karl I of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel issued a decree according to which all church libraries in the city of Brunswick were to be dissolved in order to bring their holdings together in the library of the Spiritual Ministry at the Brüdernkirche . With this, Charles I effectively dissolved Liberei.

Preserved remains of Liberei

"Orate pro Gherwio de hamelen datore" (Pray for Gerwin von Hameln, the donor) , family coat of arms and stamp of the Braunschweig city library , where the work is located today

Since there are no reliable figures for the entire collection, let alone the remainder of the Liberei, almost only the remaining collection of volumes by Gerwin von Hameln can be examined today. According to the current state of research, 137 (41%) of the 336 volumes by Gerwin from 1495 have survived. Most of them are in the Brunswick City Library and the Herzog August Library in Wolfenbüttel . Smaller stocks are in the Lower Saxony State and University Library in Göttingen , the Württemberg State Library in Stuttgart , the Baden State Library in Karlsruhe and in the Anhalt State Library in Dessau-Roßlau .

Volumes from the collection of Gerwin von Hameln can be clearly assigned based on their individual characteristics. This is how the pattern is labeled and all are marked with the family crest, “… which shows on a blue background half a white ibex rising to the left with a red tongue, red horns and hooves. Next to it is written by his hand: Orate pro Gherwino de Hamelen d[on]atore. [ Pray for Gerwin of Hamelin, the donor. ]". The coat of arms is always on the first page, occasionally also on the flyleaf or title page . In addition, there are marginal notes by Gerwin in many volumes, such as "perlegi" ("read") or "perlegi totum librum" ("read the whole book").

War damage and restoration

Burning downtown Braunschweig after the bombing of October 15, 1944

During the Second World War , the city ​​center of Braunschweig , which also includes Neustadt, was extensively destroyed by numerous air raids by the Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Forces . Liberei was badly damaged in particular by the bombardments of February 10th and 15th, 1944. The building burned down, the vaults collapsed, the gabled roof burned down, both gables were severely damaged, with parts of the south gable falling onto Kröppelstrasse.

Shortly after the end of the war, in view of the severe damage to the building, preservationists suggested leaving only the north gable and restoring the badly damaged south gable and the side walls, which were also damaged, using other materials. However, this proposal was not implemented due to the historical importance of the building. In 1947 it was initially possible to secure the existence of the building. However, the external appearance of the former library could only be restored in a simplified form in 1963/64. It was only at this point in time that brickworks were once again technically able to produce and glaze shaped bricks. Thanks to private donations, but also public funds, the interior restoration could be carried out in 1984/85, whereby an outside staircase - this time made of steel - was built on the north side in order to be able to get inside.

In the years that followed, the Liberei was occasionally used by youth groups or for meetings of the church council. Art events and smaller celebrations also took place on the premises. The originally planned establishment of a stone museum could not be implemented due to lack of funds.

literature

web links

Commons : Liberei  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

itemizations

  1. ↑ Latin liber for 'book' or libraria for 'book collection', see: "Liberei" in the German dictionary by Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm
  2. ↑ Hermann Herbst: The library of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig. p. 335.
  3. ↑ Cord Meckseper (ed.): City in transition. Art and culture of the bourgeoisie in Northern Germany 1150-1650. Volume 1, Stuttgart 1985, p. 580.
  4. ↑ a b Hermann Herbst: The library of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig. p. 306.
  5. ↑ Paul Lehmann: Gerwin van Hameln and the Andreas Library in Braunschweig. p. 571.
  6. ↑ a b Richard Moderhack : Braunschweig city history , Braunschweig 1997, p. 73.
  7. ↑ a b Paul Jonas Meier, Karl Steinacker: The building and art monuments of the city of Braunschweig. 2nd Edition. Braunschweig 1926, p. 30.
  8. ↑ a b Hermann Herbst: The library of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig. p. 302.
  9. ↑ Herbst names 14 titles, see Hermann Herbst: The library of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig. p. 306.
  10. ↑ Paul Lehmann: Gerwin van Hameln and the Andreas Library in Braunschweig. p. 567.
  11. ↑ Hermann Herbst: The library of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig. p. 308.
  12. ↑ Hermann Herbst: The library of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig. p. 309.
  13. ↑ a b c d Hermann Herbst: The library of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig. p. 315.
  14. ↑ a b Hermann Herbst: The library of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig. p. 318.
  15. ↑ a b Hermann Herbst: The library of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig. p. 317.
  16. ↑ Heinrich Nentwig: The older books in Braunschweig. Contribution to the history of the city library. p. 22.
  17. ↑ a b Hermann Herbst: The library of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig. p. 316f.
  18. ↑ a b Brigide Schwarz: Hanoverian in Braunschweig. The careers of Johann Ember († 1423) and Hermann Pentel († after 1463). p. 27.
  19. ↑ a b c d Wolfgang Kimpflinger: Monument topography Federal Republic of Germany. Architectural monuments in Lower Saxony. Volume 1.1.: City of Braunschweig. Part 1, p. 181.
  20. ↑ Brigide Schwarz: Hanoverians in Brunswick. The careers of Johann Ember († 1423) and Hermann Pentel († after 1463). p. 22.
  21. ↑ Robert Slawski: St. Andreas - Neustadt - Brunswick. Braunschweig 1996, p. 24.
  22. ↑ Hermann Herbst: The library of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig. p. 328.
  23. ↑ Hermann Herbst: The library of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig. p. 319.
  24. ↑ Paul Lehmann: Gerwin van Hameln and the Andreas Library in Braunschweig. p. 568.
  25. ↑ Werner Spieß: History of the city of Braunschweig in the post-medieval period. From the end of the Middle Ages to the end of the freedom of the city 1491-1671. Volume 2, Braunschweig 1966, p. 734.
  26. ↑ Hermann Herbst: The library of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig. p. 330f.
  27. ↑ Anette Haucap-Naß: The Brunswick town clerk Gerwin von Hamelin and his library. p. 157.
  28. ↑ Haucap-Nass calculated 26 meters of shelf space just for Gerwin's collection, see Anette Haucap-Nass: The Brunswick town clerk Gerwin von Hameln and his library. p. 53.
  29. ↑ Anette Haucap-Naß: The Brunswick town clerk Gerwin von Hamelin and his library. p. 138.
  30. ↑ Paul Lehmann: Gerwin van Hameln and the Andreas Library in Braunschweig. p. 570.
  31. ↑ a b Hermann Herbst: The library of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig. p. 332.
  32. ↑ Hermann Herbst: The library of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig. p. 333.
  33. ↑ Paul Lehmann: Gerwin van Hameln and the Andreas Library in Braunschweig. p. 575.
  34. ↑ Paul Lehmann: Gerwin van Hameln and the Andreas Library in Braunschweig. p. 576f.
  35. ↑ Werner Spieß: History of the city of Braunschweig in the post-medieval period. Volume 2, p. 484.
  36. ↑ Anette Haucap-Naß: The Brunswick town clerk Gerwin von Hamelin and his library. p. 139.
  37. ↑ Paul Lehmann: Gerwin van Hameln and the Andreas Library in Braunschweig. p. 573.
  38. ↑ Paul Lehmann: Gerwin van Hameln and the Andreas Library in Braunschweig. p. 574.
  39. ↑ Tina Stadlmayer: Where Braunschweig's first books were. The Liberei at Brunswick and the book collector Gerwin von Hamelin. Merlin Verlag, Gifkendorf 2012, ISBN 978-3-87536-285-5 , p. 41.
  40. ↑ Hermann Herbst: The library of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig. p. 303.
  41. ↑ Hermann Herbst: The library of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig. p. 321.
  42. ↑ Anette Haucap-Naß: The Brunswick town clerk Gerwin von Hamelin and his library. p. 52.
  43. ↑ Hermann Herbst: The library of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig. p. 327.
  44. ↑ Hermann Herbst: The library of the Andreaskirche in Braunschweig. p. 337.
  45. ↑ Anette Haucap-Naß: The Brunswick town clerk Gerwin von Hamelin and his library. p. 163ff.
  46. ↑ Heinrich Nentwig: The older books in Braunschweig. Contribution to the history of the city library. p. 37.
  47. ↑ Anette Haucap-Naß: The Brunswick town clerk Gerwin von Hamelin and his library. p. 54f.
  48. ↑ Braunschweiger Zeitung (ed.): The bomb night. The air war 60 years ago. Special Issue No. 10, Braunschweig 2004, p. 8.
  49. ↑ Tina Stadlmayer: Where Braunschweig's first books were. p. 42.

Coordinates: 52° 16′ 4.9″  N , 10° 31′ 15.2″  E