An St. Georg 1
41515 Grevenbroich

Phone: +49 2181 40860

Library abbreviation: Grv1 = O9034

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The small library, which has been preserved in the Elfgen parish of St. Georg, contains 217 volumes, approximately 50% were published before 1800 and the other half after 1900. Only a few titles originate from the 19th century. Like many other parish libraries, it was essentially created from the estate of individual clergymen of the 18th or 19th centuries, to whom old books of various origins were added over the course of time. In Elfgen the priest Johannes Weller and the former canon of the monastery Mariengraden in Cologne, Johann Theodor Wirtz, who both lived around 1800, stand out as previous owners of numerous older works. Parish libraries of this type are mainly characterized by pastoral needs (preaching, liturgy, moral theology). In addition, Elfgen contains a remarkably large number of titles from church history, especially in the Rhineland, as well as volumes from very different monasteries, of which the Mariengradenstift in Cologne was particularly closely linked to the parish. Even among the few non-theological books, the predominance of historical works is noticeable; all other disciplines are represented only by individual titles such as a herb book, a "Romführer" or a dictionary. Collections such as the Elfgener can often be important additions to the holdings of large libraries, even if they are rather inconspicuous on the outside, since they have never systematically collected this scientifically irrelevant literature. Today, however, their source value for research into the intellectual, cultural and social history of modern times is appreciated more than ever.