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All the Netherlands Zutphen Librije Chained Library

Librije Chained Library

Unchanged for centuries, this medieval library keeps its books in chains.

Zutphen, Netherlands

Added By
Allison Meier
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Inside St. Walburga’s Church   Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed/CC BY-SA 4.0
Inside St. Walburga’s Church   Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed/CC BY-SA 4.0
Book on a chain   Mx Lucy/CC BY-SA 4.0
City walls and tower of the St Walburga’s Church in Zutphen   Dutch Cities/Alamy
Row of oldest books   Mx Lucy/CC BY-SA 4.0
Paw print (in some stories, that of the devil)   Mx Lucy/CC BY-SA 4.0
Rows of chained books   Mx Lucy/CC BY-SA 4.0
Rows of books opposite a bookcase   Mx Lucy/CC BY-SA 4.0
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About

The chained library of St. Walburga's Church in the center of Zutphen dates to the 16th century, with little altered over the centuries in its naturally-lit reading room.

Dating to 1561, the "Librije" is one of the few surviving chained libraries, a practice of the Middle Ages when libraries were first open to the public, but books were so valuable they were locked in place to keep them from being stolen. Walk along the lecterns of the Librije in Zutphen and you'll see the leather-bound tomes still attached in the same places as in medieval times, making it the oldest intact library in the Netherlands. 

The church itself dates to the 11th century, and it was partly the religious fervor of the clergy that formed the library. They believed that reading the right books would keep people away from the temptations of the Reformation. But keep an eye on the floor where you'll find what are said to be the devil's footprints, which stalked a wayward monk who dared to eat chicken during Lent, and was condemned to a tormented evening locked in the Librije. 

Related Tags

Chained Libraries Libraries Medieval

Community Contributors

Added By

Allison

Edited By

josvanderheiden, winnielee

  • josvanderheiden
  • winnielee

Published

April 22, 2014

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  • http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803133602794
Librije Chained Library
St. Walburga's Church
Zutphen, 7201 DM
Netherlands
52.139299, 6.195557
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