Treasury of the Trier City Research Library

Treasuries may not normally have anything to do with fishing. But the Trier Treasury is a big exception. For its extensive array of centuries-old manuscripts includes the only copy of a world-famous fish calendar. It lists 27 species of fish, and also provides information on which varieties can be caught and eaten during which season. As such, it not only helped the Cistercian monks at Himmerod Abbey ensure they always had enough salmon, pike and carp at the dinner table; it also continues to help the City Library present a very special highlight in hits modern, attractively lit premises.

The Treasury also has a few other good catches, including a Gutenberg Bible, the gold cover of the Ada Gospel (decorated with precious stones and an ancient cameo), and of course the Codex Egberti, which has been on the UNESCO World Documentary Heritage list since 2004. And is it any wonder: Those who lose themselves in the charming, atmospherically poeticised scenes of the 56 illuminations interspersed in the text will literally be taking in the demure piety of the Middle Ages and the artistry of the Archbishop Egbert workshop from the 2nd half of the 10th century. And the fact that the ‘Codex Egberti’ is the oldest and most extensive sequence of images depicting the life of Jesus Christ in one book is just the icing on the cake.

By the way: Anyone wanting to also revel in magical three-dimensional gold and colour should be sure to check out the two mighty globes of Venetian theologian and cosmographer Vincenzo Coronelli, illustrating the earth and the firmament. The latter even shows Halley’s Comet, which only comes into the earth’s vision every 76 years. Thanks to Coronelli, we can now see it all the time. And thanks to the Treasury, we also have access to all the other precious items which would otherwise have disappeared into the locked warehouse.