UNIVERSITY OF COLOGNE

Historical book collections in the Hennef city archive with the Blankenberg tower museum

Beethovenstr. 21
53773 Hennef

Tel.: +49 2242 888540

Fax: +49 2242 8887672

E-Mail:
Internet: https://www.hennef.de/index.php?id=51

Library abbreviation : Hen2 = O9036

contact person:
Gisela Rupprath

Katalog starten

The present collection, which is accessible via the Hennef City Archives, consists of two parts. First, an older collection of books, the core of which comes from the Catholic parish of St. Katharina Blankenberg, was collected in the tower museum of the town of Blankenberg. Apart from a small part which is exhibited, it is now in the Hennef City Archives. In addition, there was the collection of the domain and forest council Franz Joseph Wilhelm Scheven from Hennef, who from 1816 was first district administrator of the district of Uckerath, later until 1837 of the Siegkreis. The Blankenberg collection comprises almost 140 numbers and consists largely of theological literature from the mid-16th century to the end of the 19th century. While Latin specialised literature predominates in the older collection, prayer and devotional books in the German language noticeably gain in significance in the course of time. In addition, however, there are works from almost all areas of common knowledge at the time: Classical philology, history, law, philosophy, art, literature. A good insight is provided (in German) : Helmut Fischer. Der historische Buchbestand des Turmmuseums Stadt Blankenberg. In: Heimatblätter des Rhein-Sieg-Kreises. Vol. 56, 1988, pp. 80-95. Some volumes of this part of the collection are missing, including the oldest volume of the collection, Vol. 3: "De Sanctis" der "Homiliae" Johannes Ecks (Cologne 1538). Approximately a hundred numbers (in about 166 volumes) in the Scheven Collection are characterized by legal literature with works from the end of the 16th century to the middle of the 19th century. These include editions of important legal texts such as the "Codex Iustinianus" or Johann Josef Scottis "Sammlung der Gesetze und Verordnungen ... Jülich, Cleve and Berg", as well as comments on such legal texts or important collections of decisions - such as the "Decisiones" of David Mevius or the "Decisiones diversarum causarum" of Johann Meichsner. Examples from both collections can also be found in the catalogue of a book sponsorship campaign: "Alte Bücher in neuem Glanz". Book sponsors wanted to restore the book collections of the Hennef city archives.