Basel’s Greatest Glory

September’s HORIZON was dedicated to lifelong learning, and as a tie-in, Centrepoint invited Dr Mikkel Mangold from the Special Collections department at Basel University Library to give a talk.

Dr Mangold began his pres­entation by reminding us that medieval Basel was home to no fewer than eleven monasteries! The importance of these in­stitutions as repositories of manuscripts and hence literature and learning in the millennium before the advent of printing cannot be overstated. It was, moreover, from them that Basel University acquired many of its most priceless treasures.

The library’s growth and flourishing was fuelled by two additional factors: first its acquisition of some private collections of note, above all the Amerbach Cabinet, which contained 9,000 books belonging to the estate of Erasmus of Rotterdam as well as the many paintings by Hans Hol­bein that now hang in the Kunstmuseum, and second, the fact that in the early modern era, Basel was a centre of print­ing of Europe-wide renown.

The talk was very well attended by enthusiastic members:

“It was an exciting evening. I didn’t know that Basel had skilled printers and so early … The examples of the books were so impressive – to think how much work went into them, and the beauty of the art!” – Kristina

“The presentation by Dr Mikkel Mangold of Basel University Library was really a treat for me. It was wonderful to hear that so many books about European life dur­ing the last several hundred years have been preserved.

His conservation and cataloguing of books and other documents for Special Collec­tions seems intensively detailed … While it seems highly unlikely these books will ever be wilfully destroyed, Dr Mangold’s work does contribute in an important way to preventing what happened to the Mayan books that were intentionally de­stroyed during the 16th century.” – Larry

“Mikkel Mangold [gave an] excellent pres­entation! He illustrated Basel University Library’s many treasures and how they are preserved for posterity. It’s important to be aware of our past for it shapes our present.” – Roger

“Dr Mangold’s presentation was a delight. He spoke about the founding of the Uni­versity of Basel in 1460 and the impor­tant developments of its library over the following six centuries. I particularly en­joyed his references to the library’s beau­tiful collection of manuscripts from medieval monasteries, which once dominated Basel’s landscape.

A highlight was learning that several of these manu­scripts originate from the Augustinian monastery dedicated to St. Leonard, the site now occupied by the Lohnhof. At Centrepoint’s own library, too, books con­tinue to be catalogued, appreciated and enjoyed!” – Jan

“It was great to listen to a speaker with so much passion for his subject. While it was wonderful to hear about the many rare and beautiful books within the University Library Special Collections, I found the history of the library itself (how it grew out of the various monastic collections and how it moved locations within Basel) extremely interesting. Reminding me that the library is open to the public was also helpful.” – Maryann

“I was struck by the significance and importance of Basel in history and that we are fortunate to have people like the speaker who have such passion and dedication to conserving and making that history available to a wider audience, to­gether with institutions that provide the means and funding for these activities.” – Steve

“[I learned that] the Franciscan monks had an ambivalent attitude to books, because while they were committed to poverty, books were very expensive back then.” – Heidrun

How times have changed! These days, books are cheap and even lavishly illus­trated art books are readily affordable. No wonder those of us who are trying desperately to downsize are giving them away by the boxful! How fortunate for us, therefore, that we have Basel University Library on our doorstep,: a world-class re­source staffed by passionate book-lovers like Dr Mangold and free

One of the ten stained-glass windows that were donated between 1560 and 1564 for the new library on Rheinsprung Street (Artist: Ludwig Ringler)

Written By Bronwen Saunders