Exposition of the Latin School Library in Jáchymov

1516 

At the very beginning of the rise of Renaissance Jáchymov, the so-called "Latin" town school was established in 1516. The most important contributor to its development was its rector and later famous preacher Johann Mathesius, who also began to systematically build its library. Originally a Lutheran school, it was closed during the Counter-Reformation, but the library was preserved and rediscovered and inventoried in the 19th and 20th centuries. The current exhibition can be found in the Renaissance cellars of the Jáchymov Information Centre.

 

The books stored in the attic of the Jáchymov town hall were rediscovered by the Cheb archivist Karl Siegel in 1871. He took care of the books, made an inventory and left them in the town hall, where they fortunately survived the fire in 1873. The volumes date from 1425 to 1629. Most of the books come from the Renaissance period, the heyday of Jáchymov, and the library had the most additions during the time of J. Mathesius. The collection also contains 52 incunabula (i.e. books printed in the early days of printing up to 1500). From the 17th century, the period of the Counter-Reformation, there are only 7 volumes. About three quarters of the original collection of books has been preserved. 

The content of the library corresponded to the needs of the school. There are works of theology and humanities, mathematics, astronomy, natural science, medicine and geography. Here we can find classics such as Homer, Sophocles, Ptolemy's Cosmography, Herodotus' History, Konrad Gessner's Historiae Animalium with engravings by A. Dürer. There are several editions of Mathesius' Sarepta and of Agricola's books, especially the Twelve Books on Mining and Metallurgy. There are several musical writings of interest by the local teacher and composer Nikolaus Herman, who was a friend of Muthesius’s and often composed songs to accompany his sermons. 

Since 2020, the Latin School Library has found a new location in the Renaissance cellars of the Jáchymov Information Centre, where it is freely accessible during opening hours. The exhibition presents the most visually impressive unique pieces and at the same time allows the collection which is unique in the world in terms of content and preservation to stand out as a whole. An interesting feature are the so-called libri catenati – books with chains to prevent their being stolen. The impressive atmosphere of the place is enhanced by recordings of some of N. Herman's musical works. 

 

References

Expozice Knihovny Latinské školy Jáchymov: URL: https://latine-school.cz/cs/o-expozici [24. 2. 2021].

Hloušek, J.: Jáchymov – Joachimsthal. Kateřina Hloušková – vlastním nákladem. Jáchymov, 2017. URL: https://www.jachymov-joachimsthal.cz/ [24. 2. 2021].

Ježek, O.: Zápisník jáchymovského kronikáře. Energie Jáchymov, 2010.

 

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