Iron Library – Schlatt, Switzerland - Atlas Obscura
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Iron Library

Schlatt, Switzerland

Everything from alchemy books to building plans for the Eiffel Tower are housed inside this museum.  

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Eisenbibliothek Iron Library / CC BY-SA 4.0
Eisenbibliothek Iron Library / CC BY-SA 4.0
Eisenbibliothek Iron Library / CC BY-SA 4.0
More of the old and rare books collection. TravelerOfBothTimeandSpace (Atlas Obscura User)
The oldest book in the library. TravelerOfBothTimeandSpace (Atlas Obscura User)
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The Iron Library is a true hidden gem. This special collection holds some of the world’s oldest and rarest books about the history of iron metallurgy, science, and technology. It’s located in the beautiful old Paradise Convent, the grounds of which are on the banks of the Upper Rhine.

The library was founded in 1948 by Georg Fischer Ltd. and has one of the world’s largest private collections in its subject area. The original collection at the library focused on works about iron and steel, but it has grown to include physics, mathematics, alchemy, natural history, and engineering.

There are over 47,000 books covering 750 years, many of them from the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods. These include medieval manuscripts with writings by Aristotle, a copy of Isaac Newton’s Principia (1687), and building plans for the Eiffel Tower just to name a few 

Know Before You Go

The Paradise Convent is located 15 minutes walk from Langwiesen train station. The library is open weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm. Visits have to be booked in advance (emails to eisenbibliothek@georgfischer.com). Tours are given by the librarian and last between 45 minutes and an hour.

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linkogecko
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Published
May 25, 2022
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