The Ethiopic Manuscript Collection of the Monumenta Vitruvii Foundation in Stützerbach. By V. Böll
Channel: Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin
Date: 18/08/2022

The private collection of Ethiopic manuscripts was recently transferred by the collector Dr. Kai Beermann to the Monumenta Vitruvii Foundation. Since the 1990s, Dr. Kai Beermann has collected over three hundred manuscripts and scrolls (15th-21st century). He acquired these manuscripts either during his travels in Ethiopia or through antiquarian bookshops or auction houses. This probably largest private collection of Ethiopic manuscripts in Germany is still unknown to experts. It is located in the Glasersche Haus in Stützerbach, Thuringia, the seat of the Foundation. On behalf of the Foundation, I am currently cataloguing the manuscripts with direct entry into the database „Qalamos”. Connected with this is the endeavor to record and document the provenance of the manuscripts and the history of the collection through interviews with Dr. Kai Beermann, review of documents, catalogues, and Internet research. My paper discusses the specific features of this cataloguing, the collection history and points out ways for Ethiopic manuscript provenance research. 

Dr Verena Böll (Dresden) is a scholar specializing in Ethiopian Orthodox Tawāḥedo Church and Ethiopian history.