Restoration of the “ash books” in the Anna Amalia Library

Twenty years after the devastating fire in the Anna Amalia Library in Weimar, the Klassik-Stiftung Weimar has made significant progress in restoring the books and writings damaged by the fire. So far, 1.1 million pages of the so-called “ash books” have been restored in a complex process. By the end of the planned restoration work, 1.5 million pages are to be restored – a fraction of the total of seven million pages that were damaged by the fire.

The fire on September 2, 2004 not only destroyed the attic and the second gallery of the historic library building, but also destroyed a total of 50,000 books and 35 paintings from the 16th to 18th centuries. The famous rococo hall of the library, which is the heart of the building, was not left unscathed either. A total of 118,000 books were damaged, while 28,000 volumes were recovered intact from the Rococo Hall. The damaged books were recorded in various categories, with the 25,000 volumes rescued from the fire debris being referred to as “ash books”. Due to their severe soot, smoke and heat damage, these fragments are a central symbol of the preservation of the library’s cultural heritage. Since 2008, they have been restored in a long-term restoration project. The “ash books” comprise a total of around seven million individual sheets, of which 1.5 million sheets are earmarked for restoration.

The extent of the damage was considerable. Of the 118,000 damaged books, 56,000 had heavy soot, smoke and pollutant damage. A further 62,000 books were damaged by fire, heat and extinguishing water, including 37,000 volumes with binding damage. Many of these books are irretrievably damaged, but the majority have been restored. Between 2004 and 2018, all 56,000 soot and smoke-damaged books were cleaned, decontaminated and conserved. Work on the 37,000 books with binding damage has been almost complete since 2020.

However, the entire restoration of the “ash books” is proving to be extremely complex. In the restoration workshop for fire-damaged documents, which is unique in Germany and was set up in Weimar-Legefeld in 2008 with the support of the Vodafone Foundation Germany, around 60,000 sheets are restored every year. This workshop was specially developed to deal with large-scale fire damage, as there were no standardized procedures for dealing with such damage on a large scale at the time of the fire in 2004.

In addition to physical restoration, digitization also plays an important role. With the support of the Volkswagen Foundation, numerous “ash books” were digitized to ensure long-term archiving. The Klassik-Stiftung Weimar also released the film “Saving the Weimar Ash Books”, which provides an insight into the demanding work of the restorers.

From the very beginning, the restoration of the “ash books” was characterized by close scientific cooperation. An international advisory board was set up and several research projects were launched to support and further develop the restoration. The model projects funded by the Coordination Office for the Preservation of Written Cultural Heritage (KEK) include “Through fire and water. Weimar cloth bindings restored” (2011) and the project “Conservation of historical silk bindings” (2016).

Another essential research project has been carried out in collaboration with the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna since 2018. It deals with the “Use of nano- or microfibrillated celluloses for the stabilization and restoration of historical paper”. This innovative process could play a decisive role in the long-term preservation of severely damaged cultural assets in the future.

The collaboration with the University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HAWK) led to the exhibition “Restoration after the fire – Saving the books of the Duchess Anna Amalia Library” in 2014. This exhibition and the accompanying book document the extraordinary restoration process and offer insights into the technical and cultural challenges.

The restoration work, which is to continue until the end of 2028, is secured by federal and state funding. A total of 12.8 million euros has already been invested in the restoration and reconstruction of the Anna Amalia Library. This significant sum illustrates the enormous cultural importance of the project and the urgency of preserving Weimar’s literary heritage.

An important aspect of the restoration was also the improvement of fire protection. After the fire in 2004, a modern system was installed that can detect and fight fires in their early stages. This should prevent future disasters and protect the library’s valuable cultural assets in the long term.

Since its beginnings in 1547, the Duchess Anna Amalia Library in Weimar has been an important research and archive library focusing on the literary and cultural history of Europe, in particular on the period between 1750 and 1850. It continues the tradition of historical princely libraries and preserves a broad collection of works ranging from the 9th to the 21st century.

Further links

Ash books in the online catalog of the Duchess Anna Amalia Library

Ash books in the digital collections of the Duchess Anna Amalia Library

Database of fire losses

Details on the restoration of the recovered books and fire loss management