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🇩🇪 Germany /Culture & Society

Book presumed lost in World War II found in German charity shop

From Die Zeit · () German

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

At a glance

In-depth Official statement Outcome reported
  • Staff found the book “Pauli Sententiae” among donated books at a charity shop in Flörsheim, Hesse.
  • The 1594 volume likely disappeared after it was moved from Berlin to Hesse during World War II and had officially been listed as a war loss since 1945.
  • The book returned to the Berlin State Library in late August and is available for research.

A book believed lost since World War II has turned up in an unexpected place: a social charity shop in Flörsheim, in the German state of Hesse.

Employees discovered the 1594 volume, “Pauli Sententiae,” in a donated book collection. Careful work by the staff and research across institutions established its identity, according to the Regional Diakonie Main and Hochtaunus and the Berlin State Library.

Printed in Nuremberg, the book is a Latin work and a late antique legal text. Researchers reconstructed its path through what they described as a detective-style search. It was probably moved from Berlin to the Hattorf potash mine in Hesse during World War II, then disappeared during the relocation.

The investigation into the provenance of the historic volume resembled detective work.

· Berlin State Library and Regional Diakonie Main and HochtaunusThe institutions described the research that identified the book and traced its wartime history.

The volume had officially been listed as a war loss since 1945. It returned to the Berlin State Library at the end of August, where it was already catalogued and can now be consulted by researchers. The library said the book’s condition was remarkably good for its age.

The institutions described the return of such an old and important work to its original home as a source of great joy and said recovering historic books has immense value for libraries and historical research.

The return of such old and important books to their original home is of immeasurable value to libraries and historical research.

· Berlin State Library and Regional Diakonie Main and HochtaunusThe institutions explained the importance of recovering the volume.
About this summary

Originally published by Die Zeit 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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