The Romans built it in Cologne: discovery of the oldest library in Germany

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

It is unclear what a sensation lies in the city center of Cologne. Now researchers are confident that they have uncovered the fundamentals of Germany's oldest library. The center planned on the site still needs to be built.

During excavations in Cologne, archaeologists discovered the foundations of the oldest verifiable library in Germany. The building was built in the 2nd century in the Roman city of Cologne, said the director of the Bodensekmalpflege Cologne, Marcus Trier. Archaeologists have surprised the mbadive remains of the wall a year ago during the construction of the new center of the Protestant church downtown

"At first we thought that 39, it was the remains of a public hall, "says Trier. But the walls had "strange and niche-like divisions." This is only after extensive research and comparisons with other ancient buildings in Ephesus, that it became apparent that a library was on this site.

The building, measuring 20 meters by 9 plus an extension, was probably two stories high. "There were certainly several thousand scrolls to borrow here," said Trier, who is also director of the Roman-Germanic Museum. The foundations would now be integrated into the new building of the church center.

The Fund is considered a sensation among farmers on the land, reports the WDR. The "Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger" writes that the foundations should then be partially accessible to the public – in the underground car park of the new building. His foundation had been raised above to secure other remains of foundations in the ground. The parts would be rebuilt so that they are preserved for future generations of researchers.

Source: n-tv.de