Georg Andreas and Gerlinde Bachem Collection

Bachem - The principle: a printed book per shelf each year

The valuable library of the Bachem couple contains publications from the 15th to 20th centuries from all over Europe. Georg Andreas Bachem followed the principle of owning (at least) one book from each year. Over decades a library has been established with a focus on "schöne und seltene Bücher" (beautiful and rare books) (G.A. Bachem). Based on the grandfather's books, gifts from the librarian of Mariawald Abbey, who thus saved the books from Gestapo access in 1941, brought old books into the small collection. Henceforth, interest in Bachem's "alten Druck" (old printing) determined his passion for collecting. It is Gerlinde Bachem's gratitude that after the death of her husband, she decided to hand over the library of the married couple to UCL Cologne. The volumes have been placed under the shelfmark "BACH".

A large part of Bachem's modern holdings have been donated to the Luxembourg National Archives since 2003, mainly on topics and issues relating to the two world wars, including the question of guilt, the role of Judaism and economic contexts.

Georg Andreas Bachem (1922-2010)

A 2005 article in the Kölnische Rundschau described the linguistic-historical researcher, lyrical author and passionate collector as a "Wissenschaftler im Nebenberuf" (scientist as a sideline). The studied structural engineer used his studies of the Celtic, Basque and Gaelic languages for his artistic work. He wrote poems based on these linguistic forms. Many of Bachem's works, illustrated by his hand, are also available in German and English. Several volumes, bound in demanding bindings, were published by Bachem himself. Georg Andreas Bachem was also committed to the history of his homeland. The adjacent illustration is taken from a small commemorative publication of the Geschichtsverein Stadt Heimbach/Eifel e.V. (History Association of Heimbach/Eifel).

Biographical notes on Georg Andreas Bachem

"I do not owe my poetry to bibliophilia, but in later decades my poetry owes a great deal to my love of books." This is how G.A. Bachem describes the mutual enrichment of his two passions in his volume "Nachgeburt", published in 1986. The self-published works are also included in the collection. In addition, the collection comprises Bachem’s own illustrations, such as drawings and collages, research materials, genealogical and heraldic studies, newspaper clippings, correspondence and photographs. The surviving letters from Bachem’s mother, who wrote tirelessly to her son in the “Westwall combat zone” during the final months of the war, represent a particularly significant historical document.

A library is taking shape ...

Initially, the collector’s focus was generally on old books. Later, Georg Andreas Bachem scoured national and international auctions for rare and unusual works. The title page of a so-called occasional pamphlet, pictured above, is one such example. It depicts an extremely rare print that has not yet been recorded in any bibliography. The author of the pamphlet, a German-Frenchman, is Johann Christian Trömer. His pseudonym is ‘Jean Chretien Toucement’. He was from Dresden. The author’s speciality in his writings is a distinctive blend of the German and French languages. The recipient of this birthday address dated 8 December 1741 was Maria Josepha (1699–1757), Archduchess of Austria and, through her marriage, Electress of Saxony and Queen of Poland.

Particularly noteworthy are several printed works whose bindings feature embossed coats of arms (supralibros) and which are known to have come from aristocratic or royal libraries. These include, amongst others, volumes formerly owned by Queen Maria Theresa of France (1638–1683), King Ernest Augustus of Hanover (1771–1851), Liselotte of the Palatinate (1652–1722), Maria Theresa of Austria (1717–1780), King Louis XIII of France (1601–1643), and King Louis XV of France (1710–1774). One copy originates from the private library of Commander-in-Chief Eugene of Savoy (1663–1736), which is held in its entirety at the Austrian National Library and from which only a few prints ever entered the market. Such provenances represent a valuable source for reconstructing historical networks and courtly culture and, moreover, possess considerable relevance in terms of heraldry as well as book and art history.

Bachem acquired a number of rare copies in various languages, of which very few, if any, are known to exist in Germany or, in some cases, internationally. One example is the 1765 print BACH150, published in Valencia, which deals with various languages in its content. To the best of our knowledge, this work is currently listed worldwide only in the catalogue database of the Spanish National Library. Even more extraordinary is volume BACH92, a Scandinavian illustrated book printed in Uppsala in 1631, which contains portraits of prominent figures of its time and is described in Bachem’s own documentation as a ‘rare, remarkable volume’. Equally rare is the copy with the call number BACH60, which was printed in Burgos in 1736. It is a work intended for female pilgrims, dealing with so-called ‘women’s ailments’. In his documentation, Bachem points out that it is likely a rare production from a small printing house, which is of interest from both a printing-historical and a cultural-historical perspective.

The collection is currently being examined for possible Nazi-looted artefacts.

Lucia Müller: “The Georg Andreas Bachem Bibliophile Collection at the UCL Cologne”

Lecture (in german) by Lucia Müller (PDF, 124 KB) to mark the opening of the exhibition “A Book for Every Year – The Hunt for the Extraordinary”
Exhibition dates: 2 July to 30 September 2026
Venue: Cologne University and City Library.

The lecture highlights the Bachem Library, a collection of European printed works built up by Georg Andreas and Gerlinde Bachem over a period of 56 years. The collection comprises works from the 15th to the 20th century and is characterised by a very specific collecting aim: to cover almost all publication years between 1470 and 1966.