Johannes a Lasco Library, Research library and museum in Emden, Germany
The Johannes a Lasco Library is a research library and museum in Emden, housed inside the restored shell of the city's Great Church. It holds around 130,000 volumes along with manuscripts and documents focused on Reformed theology and early modern religious history.
The Great Church of Emden, whose walls now enclose the library, dates back to the 9th century and was heavily damaged during the Second World War. The library was founded in 1995 and made use of the surviving structure rather than rebuilding it from scratch.
The library takes its name from Johannes a Lasco, a Polish reformer who played a central role in shaping the Protestant community of Emden in the 16th century. Today the building hosts lectures, concerts, and academic gatherings that draw visitors from the region and beyond.
The building is wheelchair accessible, and part of the collection can be consulted through the online portal Reformed Online, which makes it easy to prepare a visit in advance. Those interested in the rarest items should check beforehand which materials are available for in-person viewing.
Among the roughly 155 manuscripts held here are works by Erasmus of Rotterdam, placing the collection among the rare places in northern Germany where such early printed and handwritten material can be seen. Emden was once a refuge for Protestant exiles from across Europe, and some of these documents arrived with those communities.
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