St Gallen Abbey Library

I love books and I love libraries! I was also lucky to be able to work at the British Library in London for a few years. It was such a great experience and a privilege to work with so many significant, interesting and beautiful treasures.

When I moved to Switzerland and heard about the St Gallen Abbey Library I knew I had to visit. It is quite hard to describe the experience of being in this special place. It is quite magical, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end. The smell of the wood and the books also adds to the experience. It is hard to put into words how amazing it is. Put simply it is one of those places that you need to visit in person and see for yourself!

Some history:

Founded in 612, the library is one of the oldest, most important libraries in the world. It is the oldest in Switzerland and 3rd oldest in the world.

At the core of the Abbey Library is a collection of 2,100 manuscripts. This remarkable collection gives an important insight into life at the abbey. Most of the medieval manuscripts were produced here at the Abbey.

The present, late Baroque building was constructed in 1767.

In 1983 the library and whole abbey complex was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

There are also many objects in the library, the most spectacular of these is a giant globe. It dates back to 1571 and is over 2 metres tall and 1.2 metres wide. It shows both the heavens and the earth. The detail is incredible. I was surprised to discover that it isn’t the original especially as the replica is so well done. The original was stolen in 1712 by Zurich troops and since the end of the 19^th century has been on display in the Swiss National Museum. The replica took 50 people over 7,000 hours to make. Find out more about this story.

The whole Abbey complex is also worth visiting. There are several areas to explore:

Cathedral: beautiful Baroque architecture.
Vaulted cellar: here you can learn more about the Irish monk Gallus, the monastery, the town, the canton and the diocese are named after him. There are some beautiful and interesting treasures here too.
Exhibition space: a highlight here is the original abbey plan (825) which is considered to be one of the most important architectural drawings from the Middle Ages.

Cathedral interior
Cathedral exterior
Front cover of the Evangelium Longum, c. 895
Hartker Antiphony. Chants for the Library of the Hours, c. 990/1000
Coloured keystones bearing the coats of arms of monks, 1553
Original Abbey Plan

For more information about visiting go to the Stiftsbezirk website.

Thanks to the Stiftsbezirk St Gallen for the permission to take photos in the library (not usually permitted).

I also visited the Historisches und Völkerkundemuseum which really exceeded my expectations. It has a huge collection of objects from all over the world. The museum tells the history of the city and its development. The displays are really well thought out and the objects are displayed in an interesting way.

A short, uphill walk from the city brings you to Drei Weieren (three ponds). Here you get fantastic views of St Gallen, you can also see Lake Constance from here too. There are 3 natural swimming ponds and lots of green space to walk through or just sit and relax. I was there on a Sunday and it seemed to be a popular place with both locals and visitors.