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🇩🇪 Germany /Culture & Society

Book from 1594, thought lost, found in Hesse and returned to Berlin

From Der Spiegel · () German

Translated from German and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement Outcome reported
  • A book published in 1594, believed to have been lost, was identified in a book donation in Hesse.
  • Investigators believe it was moved from Berlin to the Hattorf potash mine during World War II and later went missing.
  • The well-preserved volume returned to the Berlin State Library in late August and is now catalogued and available for research.

A book dating from 1594 that had long been presumed lost has resurfaced in Hesse and returned to the Berlin State Library. The volume was identified during a book donation, turning its recovery into a historical investigation.

Tracing the provenance of the historical volume resembled detective work.

· State Library BerlinThe library described the investigation into how the 1594 book reached Hesse.

Tracing the book’s origins reportedly resembled detective work. It was probably evacuated from Berlin to the Hattorf potash mine during World War II, according to the explanation of its provenance, and disappeared during that operation.

The book returned to the State Library at the end of August. It has already been entered in the catalogue and is available to researchers. Its condition has been described as “excellent” for a volume of its age.

The volume is in excellent condition for its age.

· State Library BerlinThe library assessed the condition of the recovered book.

The library regards the return, more than 80 years after the end of the war, as a reason for celebration. Restoring old and important books to their original institutions is described as highly valuable for libraries and historical research.

Returning such old and important books to their original home is of inestimable value for libraries and historical research.

· State Library BerlinThe library explained the importance of the book’s return to Berlin.
About this summary

Originally published by Der Spiegel in German. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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