The Calvör Library

As an ecclesiastical depository - owned by the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hanover and the parish of Zellerfeld - the University Library looks after the Calvörsche Bibliothek, an important cultural asset of the Upper Harz region.

The Calvörsche Bibliothek is named after the superintendent of the parishes of Zellerfeld, Wildemann, Grund, Lautenthal and later general superintendent of Grubenhagen for the districts of Clausthal, Osterode, Herzberg, Einbeck, Caspar Calvör (1650-1725).

In accordance with Caspar Calvör's versatile interests, this scholarly library of medium size from the Baroque period has a universal character. Only half of its holdings are theological, the rest being historical, legal, poetic, philosophical, scientific, medical and geographical writings.

The cataloguing of the library, which began in 1961, was continued after its transfer to the University Library in 1963. Today, a printed two-volume catalog and an extensive index volume make accessible the approximately 12,000 individual writings contained in nearly 4,800 volumes.

In terms of its scope and cohesiveness, the Calvörsche Bibliothek offers a cross-section of all intellectual and spiritual currents of the 17th and early 18th centuries. In addition to many rarities (Aldinian prints, family writings, disputations, etc.), special items include autographs of Luther and Melanchthon, as well as two volumes of organ tablatures not available anywhere else. In addition, many works bear witness to the technical and cultural development of mining in the Upper Harz.

A smaller part of the holdings is displayed for the viewer in the reading room of the UB behind protective glass walls. Somewhat more detailed information about Caspar Calvör and his library can be found on aseparate website.

Dr. Helmut Cyntha

Contact Phone: +49 5323 72-2367 E-mail: helmut.cyntha@tu-clausthal.de

Address University Library Building number C1 Leibnizstraße 2 38678 Clausthal-Zellerfeld Germany