Polling monastery library

The former Polling monastery library was once the second largest library in Bavaria, after the Munich court library.[1] It belonged to the Polling Abbey which was dissolved during secularisation in Bavaria. Around 1631, its number of books was still relatively small and mainly from the area of theology.[2] The greatest growth rates of books were during the era of provost Franz Töpsl during the age of enlightenment. Before provost Töpsel, 20,000 volumes were shelved in the library.[3] A large proportion of the books of 80,000 volumes were given to today's Bavarian State Library and the Ingolstadt University Library. In these books were included 653 manuscripts and 1394 incunabula.[3]

The impressive library hall is now used for concerts and events. The library was built from 1776 to 1778.[2] The master builder of the library was Matthias Bader, the ceiling fresco was painted by Johann Baader, and the stucco was by Thassilo Zopf.[4] After secularisation, around 1814, the Streicher family bought the building, who used the large hall as storage.[5] During the Second World War about 800 paintings of the Bavarian State Painting Collections were stored here, some of them very valuable.[6] In November 1971, members of the Rotary Club of Weilheim founded a club to renovate the library hall and make it available to the public.[7] Since 1975, the hall has been regularly used for classical concerts. Several hundred concerts have already been held here.

References
  1. Ladislaus Buzas: Polling und die Universitätsbibliothek Ingolstadt - Landshut - München. In: Fridolin Dreßler, Ladislaus Buzas, Hermann Wiese: Zur Geschichte der Pollinger Bibliothek, p. 26
  2. Fridolin Dreßler, Ladislaus Buzas, Hermann Wiese: Zur Geschichte der Pollinger Bibliothek, p. 11
  3. Max Biller: Pollinger Heimat-Lexikon, p. 135
  4. Gemeinde Polling: Bibliothekssaal, retrieved: 28 January 2015
  5. Max Biller: Pollinger Heimat-Lexikon, p. 137
  6. Max Biller: Pollinger Heimat-Lexikon, pp 137–138
  7. Max Biller: Pollinger Heimat-Lexikon, pp 139–140

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