Humanist Library of Sélestat

The Humanist Library (French Bibliothèque Humaniste ) in Schlettstadt is one of the most important cultural treasures of Alsace. A statement reads: Alsace own three great treasures: the Strasbourg Cathedral, the Isenheim Altarpiece in Colmar and the Humanist Library in Schlettstadt.

Actually, it involves two humanists libraries: the library of the humanist school and the private library of the famous scholar Rhenanus.

The library of the humanist school

In 1441 the magistrate of Schlettstadt appointed the native Westphalia Ludwig Dringenberg the head of the local grammar school. The appointment proved to be a stroke of luck. Dringenberg proved to be a gifted and dedicated educator who faced the intellectual currents of the time open. Under his leadership, the first school on the Upper Rhine, was maintained in the humanistic thinking arose in Schlettstadt. His successor force Hofman (1477-1501), Hieronymus Gebwiler (1501-1509) and Hans Sapidus (1510-1525) knew how to enhance the image of the school even further. The school as was the training ground for an entire generation of Alsatian humanist. Belonged to the school also has a library, which increased steadily from foundations and donations (including from the derived from Schlettstadt Jacob Wimpheling ) in circumference.

The library of the Rhenanus

Rhenanus donated his entire private library of his native city Schlettstadt. This library consisted at his death in 1547 about 670 embedded in leather volumes, which Rhenanus had gathered at his studies and impact locations Strasbourg, Basel, Paris and Schlettstadt. The library was already invaluable, since books and manuscripts were produced only in limited circulation and were extremely expensive. The library of the Rhenanus is the only major humanist library, which is virtually intact as a whole. Other major libraries such as that of Erasmus of Rotterdam or Johannes Reuchlin were scattered after the death of their owner.

The library of the Rhenanus was included in the list of world cultural heritage list by UNESCO in 2011.

The Schlettstädter humanists

The Alsatian humanists who were closely associated with the expansion of the library, were:

• Jacob Wimpfeling (1450-1528), theologian, historian and educator
• Martin Bucer (1491-1551), theologian, " Alsatian reformer "
• Jacob mirror (1483-1547), lawyer, counselor of Emperor Charles V
• Jerome Gebwiler (1473-1545), Rector of the School
• Hans Sapidus (1490-1561), Rector of the School
• Jacob Taurellus (1524-1579), a counselor of the Emperor Ferdinand I.

The library today

Since 1889 both libraries are under one roof in a former market hall near the Gothic Church of St. George housed ( Saint -Georges ). The Library is a public museum; the books are accessible to researchers. The collection includes 550 incunabula, 460 medieval and modern manuscripts, 2,200 printed works from the 16th, 1,600 printed works from the 17th and 2,600 printed works from the 18th century. In addition, in the rooms of the upper Rhine and sacred works of art from the 15th and 16th centuries are exhibited.

The library is 2012/13 part of the bilingual three-country exhibition " Oberrheinischen humanism " here under the title Between Basel and Schlettstadt. Humanism in the 16th century.