Treasures of regional literary and theatrical history restored

The historical collections of the regional library include the estates of Karl Altmüller and Paul Heidelbach as well as the so-called Schönemann theater collection, three important collections on the history of literature and theater in northern Hesse. A variety of materials can be found in a total of over forty archive boxes - in addition to handwritten concepts and notes on loose paper and in notebooks, there are also numerous photographs, postcards, index cards and theater programs. All three estates are closely related in terms of content and time and, when viewed together, form an important research basis.

Karl Altmüller (1833-1880) was director of the Murhard Library (MB) from 1872-1880 and also worked as a poet and as a dramaturge at the Kassel Court Theater. His son Hans Altmüller (1865-1932) was also a librarian at the Murhard Library (1891-1901) as well as a prolific writer and publicist.

Paul Heidelbach (1870-1954) was for many years the editor of the journal Hessenland (1895-1928), which was important for regional history, and left behind an extensive oeuvre of books and essays as a dialect poet and writer on regional literature and cultural history. Heidelbach was also a member of the Murhard staff (1919-1935).

Finally, Otto Schönemann (1883-1960) was a city auditor in Kassel, performed as a reciter and amateur actor, wrote fairy tales and plays, and was active in the Kassel amateur music scene. Above all, he was devoted to regional theater history and left behind an extensive collection of theater programs (including mostly Kassel theater programs up to the 1950s), postcards, photographs, and notes and drafts for a theater history.

The poor state of preservation of the collections, the storage situation, and especially the sensitivity of the mostly acidic paper allowed only extremely limited use. The Schönemann estate could no longer be used at all without conservation measures. The as yet undiscovered collection could not be viewed and recorded in this condition.

As part of the state program to promote measures for the preservation of written cultural assets in Hesse, the UB Kassel had successfully applied for funding to deacidify, clean and repackage these collections. In the meantime, the collections have been cleaned, deacidified, restored and then repackaged in new archival packaging at the Center for Book Preservation in Leipzig. As a result, they have been saved from further deterioration and will be permanently preserved for future use.

Left:
- Center for Book Preservation, Leipzig: https://zfb.com/
-Coordinating Office for the Preservation of Written Cultural Property: https://www.kek-spk.de
-State Program for Conservation: https://wissenschaft.hessen.de/Foerderung-finden/Landesprogramm-Bestandserhaltung

Press contact
Dr. Timo Kirschberger
University Library
Deputy Head of State Library
Phone +49 561 804-7339
Mail: kirschberger[at]bibliothek.uni-kassel[dot]de