Chapter Books burnt to ashes

On September 2, 2004, the Herzogin Anna Amalia Library in Weimar burns down. More than 50,000 priceless books burn, and more than twice as many are damaged, some of them severely. Many people in Weimar still remember where they were the night of the fire and how they heard about it. The fire has become part of the collective memory. Not only as a catastrophe, but also as an event that brought people together: Many books were saved because staff and civilians immediately pitched in. The library was reopened in 2007 and has since become a tourist attraction in the city of classical music. The 5-part storytelling podcast tells the story of the fire from the perspective of the dedicated people who saved the library. Heroes and heroines who work in otherwise rather inconspicuous professions: a bookbinder who wrapped damaged books in foil to preserve them on the night of the fire, a moving company that arrived with boxes. But also a fireman and the director at the time, Michael Knoche, who ran into the burning building to save a valuable Luther Bible. Their stories show what people - no matter how different they are - can accomplish when they work together and do what needs to be done.

Listen to the podcast here: Books in Ashes - The Anna Amalia Library Fire