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Key figures

Origin and history

The Séletat Humanist Library, located in Alsace, has been installed since 1889 in the former wheat hall built between 1843 and 1845 by Gustave Klotz. This neo-Roman building, built on the site of the old customs, is located in the heart of the historic city centre, near the churches of Saint George and Saint Foy. The library houses a rare collection of medieval and printed manuscripts from the 15th and 16th centuries, including 670 volumes from the personal collection of humanist Beatus Rhenanus, classified in 2011 in the UNESCO World Memory Registry.

The origins of the library date back to 1452, with the creation of a parish library from donations, including Johannes von Westhuss, rector of the church of Seletat. This collection, intended for teaching Latin schools and religious offices, has become richer over the centuries. In 1547 Beatus Rhenanus bequeathed his own library to his hometown: 423 volumes, 41 manuscripts, and personal works, reflecting his links with scholars such as Erasmus. These two fonds were gathered in 1757 in Saint George's Church.

In 1889, the library moved to the wheat hall, transformed to house a museum and archives in 1909. After a major restructuring led by Rudy Ricciotti (2014-2018), the site reopens with doubled spaces and innovative digital tools. The collection, now with 460 manuscripts, 550 incunables and 2,500 old prints, attracts researchers and tourists. The 1907 mosaic adorning the façade, symbolizing the lion of Seletat and the German imperial eagle, recalls its turbulent history.

The library also maintains municipal archives and works by other local humanists, such as Jacques Wimpfeling or Martin Butzer. Its inscription at UNESCO in 2011 enshrines the universal value of the Rhenanus collection, the only intact collection of a great humanist. The destruction of wood-paned houses in 2016 during the construction work has generated criticism, highlighting tensions between modernization and heritage preservation.

Today, the Humanist Library combines conservation and digital mediation, with interactive exhibitions such as Odyssey (2022). His fonds, partially digitized, testifies to the transition between manuscripts and printed matter, as well as to Sélestat's intellectual influence during the Renaissance. The attendance, estimated at 20,000 visitors per year before 2018, is expected to double due to new developments.

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