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Collections from the Early Modern Period

The early modern collections of the Gotha Research Library have an encyclopedic scope. At the core lies an outstanding collection on the history and reception of the Reformation.

The Gotha Research Library’s collections from the early modern period are represented by two large universal collections, the Ducal Palace Library and the Ducal Gymnasium Library. In addition, there are the important private libraries of the ducal family from the 18th and early 19th centuries. The collections are prototypical of the culture of the nobility between the Baroque and Enlightenment periods.

The collection on the history and reception of the Reformation in the early modern period forms the core of the early modern holdings. It contains numerous important works by the most important reformers of the 16th century, but also by prominent Catholic authors. There are also collections pertinent to educational history found in the estates of important educational theorists and practitioners and in the collections of the ducal gymnasium in Gotha. Among the extensive sources on the natural sciences, works on astronomy, alchemy, and botany stand out.