Silver library
The silver library was a so-called German or chamber library that Albrecht von Brandenburg-Ansbach acquired as part of his Reformation efforts. It is an excellent example of the high level of gold and silversmithing in Koenigsberg thanks to the suggestions received from Nuremberg and Wittenberg in the early Renaissance.
It formed the core of what would later become the royal and university library in Königsberg and was housed in a special room above the gate of the Königsberg Palace .
history
The most valuable holdings were 20 volumes, the value of which was not their content, but the covers with biblical scenes and allegories. In 1526 the silver library already contained around 100 small writings. Martin Luther's writings took first place . The oldest anthology, which, according to the cover, was from Albrecht's time as a master craftsman, brought together eight writings by Luther from the years 1523 and 1524. Other anthologies also comprised almost exclusively writings by Luther. Others brought together the great reformers, writers and preachers alongside Martin Luther such as Lazarus Spengler , Martin Bucer , Johann von Staupitz , Andreas Bodenstein , Wenzeslaus Linck , Johannes Oekolampad and Henricus Regius . Johannes Poliander (1486–1541), pastor from the old town, who himself had brought together a large theological library, with whose foundation he became the ancestor of the Königsberg city library, and the chancellor Johann Apell (1486–1536) advised the duke on his purchases. In addition, there were legal , historical, geographical and medical titles, also preferably in German, and occasionally contemporary poems such as that of Hans Sachs . Over 500 volumes were collected in his reference library during Albrecht's lifetime. They were furnished with valuable bindings. The 20 most famous, set in silver, mostly came from the possession of his second wife Anna Maria von Braunschweig (1532–1568). They gave the library its name. In 1550 Duke Albrecht commissioned the Nuremberg goldsmiths Paul Hoffmann , Gerhard Lentz and Hieronymus Kösler to mount these 20 volumes in silver.
With growth from the secularized monasteries and the abolition of the order library , which was last housed in the Tapiau Castle and was incorporated into the library between 1541 and 1543, Albrecht's successors were able to increase the inventory considerably. In 1611 the 20 silver volumes were handed over to the palace library by the councilors. In 1767 it was made available to the public. In 1787 it consisted of 16,000 volumes. In addition to individual curiosities, she owned many valuable Bible editions and rare prints, including a Vulgate manuscript from the 12th century and a print from 1465. On February 14, 1766, the philosopher Immanuel Kant entered the royal palace library - Librarian position and held it for more than six years. It is believed that a lot of his geographical knowledge originates from this time, because the silver library was more extensive and better than the Königsberg city library and even more than the Königsberg state and university library.
This famous library, especially with those 20 volumes, was one of the greatest art treasures of the German East. Therefore it was always protected in times of war. During the Seven Years' War it was placed in a casemate in Stettin, and in 1806/07 it was brought to Memel. During the First World War she found refuge in Berlin. It was located in Königsberg Castle until 1945 . The most valuable pieces were brought to the Carwind Castle in what is now Poland. After the end of the war, several Russian, Lithuanian, at least one Belarusian and also various Polish expert commissions set out for East Prussia in search of books and art treasures. For a long time they were thought to be lost and were believed to be in Thorn . On December 8, 2016, the Brandenburg Society for Culture and History invited to a bilingual, German-Polish colloquium in the House of Brandenburg-Prussian History together with the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Thorn on the subject of religious court culture in Europe . In this context a volume was presented. The possession of another 14 volumes was also granted in Poland. Twelve volumes are now in the University Library of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and three volumes are in the National Library in Warsaw.
Web link
literature
- Paul Schwenke , Konrad von Lange : The silver library Duke Albrechts of Prussia and his wife Anna Maria. Festival of the Royal and University Library Königsberg in Prussia for the 350th anniversary of the Albertus University. Hiersemann, Leipzig 1894.
- Alfred Rohde : The silver library of Duke Albrecht in Königsberg . Gräfe & Unzer, Königsberg 1928.
- Janusz Todel: Srebna Biblioteka ksiecia Albrechta Pruskiego i jego zony Anny Marii [The silver library of Duke Albrecht of Prussia and his wife Anna Maria] . Warszawa 1994, ISBN 83-7009-143-1 .
- Robert Albinus: Königsberg Lexicon . Würzburg 2002, ISBN 3-88189-441-1 .
- Richard Armstedt: history of the royal. Capital and residence city of Königsberg in Prussia . Reprint of the original edition. Stuttgart 1899.
- Fritz Gause : The history of the city of Königsberg in Prussia . 3 volumes, Cologne 1996, ISBN 3-412-08896-X .
- Jürgen Manthey : Königsberg - history of a world citizenship republic . Hanser 2005, ISBN 3-446-20619-1 .
- Gunnar Strunz: Discover Königsberg . Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-89794-071-X .
- Baldur Köster: Königsberg: Architecture from German times. Husum Druck, 2000, ISBN 3-88042-923-5 .
- Ruth Slenczka (ed.), Michał F. Woźniak: Reformation and court culture: The silver library from Königsberg (1545–1562) . Michael Imhof Verlag, Petersberg 2017, ISBN 978-3-7319-0556-1 .
Remarks
- ↑ Ruth Slenczka (ed.), Michał F. Woźniak: Reformation and court culture: The silver library from Königsberg (1545–1562) . Michael Imhof Verlag, Petersberg 2017, ISBN 978-3-7319-0556-1 .