It was previously assumed that a Biblioteca Bardensis was first mentioned in 1451 (testament of the priest Otto Bere). In August 2013, Dr. Falk Eisermann from the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, a member of the advisory board of the Förderverein Kirchenbibliothek St. Marien Barth e.V., discovered a source in the historical research literature which proves that the book collection already existed over fifty years earlier: On June 3, 1398, the Barth priest Hermann Hut (Hoet) bequeathed a number of books to the Barth church in his will. A copy of the will from the 15th century is preserved in a so-called Kopialbuch in the Schwerin State Church Archive.
The Biblioteca Bardensis, for several centuries the only large "information center" in the town, is today a dormant traditional library. With its rich collection of prints and manuscripts from the late Middle Ages and the Reformation period, as well as the Baroque and Enlightenment holdings, which have been steadily expanded over the centuries and preserved without major losses, it is a unique cultural monument.
Individual viewing appointments are available on request.
Information and registration: e-mail: info@barthbibliothek.de
Internet: www.barthbibliothek.de