The Iron Library (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Eisenbibliothek) is a

special Special or specials may refer to: Policing * Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force * Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer Literature * ''Specia ...

scientific Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

and technical library in

Schlatt, Thurgau Schlatt (or sometimes ''Schlatt TG'' in order to distinguish it from others) is a municipality in Frauenfeld District in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. History Schlatt is first mentioned in 858 as ''Slate''. In the Middle Ages, the House of ...

in Switzerland. Its main focuses are

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand – or, once practical typewriters became available, typewritten – as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in ...

s, books and journals on

iron Iron () is a chemical element with Symbol (chemistry), symbol Fe (from la, Wikt:ferrum, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 element, group 8 of the periodic table. It is, Abundanc ...

, metallurgy and plastics.

History

The ''Iron Library Foundation'' was established on 31 December 1948, at the initiative of Ernst Müller (1885–1957). He had been director of

Georg Fischer AG Georg Fischer (abbreviated GF) comprises three divisions GF Piping Systems, GF Casting Solutions, and GF Machining Solutions. Founded in 1802, the Corporation is headquartered in Switzerland and is present in 33 countries, with 140 companies, 57 ...

(GF). The Iron Library itself was opened in 1952 in the west wing of ''Klostergut Paradies'' in

. In this year the company Georg Fischer celebrated the 150th anniversary. ''Klostergut Paradies'' is the former

Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare ( la, Ordo sanctae Clarae) – originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Clarisses, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Order, and the Second Order of Saint Francis ...

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglic ...

of ''Paradies'', which had been purchased by Georg Fischer in 1918. In 2014 the Iron Library became member of the Plastics Historical Society in London and the German Plastics Historical Society (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Kunststoffgeschichte) in Bayreuth.

Collection focuses

Iron Library collects media from the following fields: *

Iron Iron () is a chemical element with Symbol (chemistry), symbol Fe (from la, Wikt:ferrum, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 element, group 8 of the periodic table. It is, Abundanc ...

and metallurgy * Plastics *History of

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and Reproducibility, reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in me ...

and

natural sciences Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatab ...

*History of Georg Fischer AG

Manuscripts and rare books

The Iron Library's collections contain valuable original holdings of scientific and cultural-historical relevance. The collections include: * The "Aristoteles-Albertus-Magnus-

" was written in the first half of 13th century. Its main parts are ''De mineralibus'' by

Aristoteles Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phi ...

and ''De natura loci'' by

Albertus Magnus Albertus Magnus (c. 1200 – 15 November 1280), also known as Saint Albert the Great or Albert of Cologne, was a German Dominican friar, philosopher, scientist, and bishop. Later canonised as a Catholic saint, he was known during his li ...

. *

Bartholomaeus Anglicus Bartholomaeus Anglicus (before 1203–1272), also known as Bartholomew the Englishman and Berthelet, was an early 13th-century Scholastic of Paris, a member of the Franciscan order. He was the author of the compendium ''De proprietatibus rerum' ...

: '' De proprietatibus rerum.'' Printed by Pierre Hongre in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

s, 1482. * Albertus Magnus: ''De natura locorum''. Printed in Strasbourg, 1515. * Wok Pniowsky von Eulenberg: ''Ayn liblichs piechel.'' Written in 1526. *

Georgius Agricola Georgius Agricola (; born Georg Pawer or Georg Bauer; 24 March 1494 – 21 November 1555) was a German Humanist scholar, mineralogist and metallurgist. Born in the small town of Glauchau, in the Electorate of Saxony of the Holy Roman Empire ...

: '' De re metallica.'' Printed in

Basel , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS ...

, 1556. *

Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a " natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the grea ...

: '' Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica.'' Printed in London, 1687. *

Giuseppe Valadier Giuseppe Valadier (April 14, 1762 – February 1, 1839) was an Italian architect and designer, urban planner and archaeologist and a chief exponent of Neoclassicism in Italy. Biography The son of a goldsmith, Luigi (1726–1785), Valadier was born ...

: ''Disegni, e spiegazione della Fonderia principio, e termine della Campana di S. Pietro.'' Written in 1786. *

Christian von Mechel Christian von Mechel (4 April 1737 in Basel; † 11 April 1817 in Berlin) was a Swiss engraver, publisher and art dealer. He developed a broad trade in art, through business connections throughout northern and central Europe; although the French ...

: ''Die eiserne Hand des tapferen deutschen Ritters Götz von Berlichingen.'' The book was printed in 1815 and describes the iron hand of

Götz von Berlichingen Gottfried "Götz" von Berlichingen (1480 – 23 July 1562), also known as Götz of the Iron Hand, was a German (Franconian) Imperial Knight (''Reichsritter''), mercenary, and poet. He was born around 1480 into the noble family of Berliching ...

, which was created in 1530. *

Gustave Eiffel Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (born Bonickhausen dit Eiffel; ; ; 15 December 1832 – 27 December 1923) was a French civil engineer. A graduate of École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures, he made his name with various bridges for the French railway ...

: ''La tour de trois cents mètres.'' (

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; french: links=yes, tour Eiffel ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Locally nicknamed "' ...

) Paris, 1900. Aristoteles - Albertus Magnus - manuscript.jpg, Aristoteles and his pupils, 13th century Pierre Hongre - De proprietatibus rerum - Lyon 1482.jpg, '' De proprietatibus rerum'', 1482 Wappen von Wok Pniowsky von Eulenberg.jpg, ''Ayn liblichs piechel'', 1526 Valadier, Disegni e spiegazione della fonderia.jpg, Illustration by Giuseppe Valadier, 1786

Georg Fischer Corporate Archives

The Iron Library forms a unitary institution together with the Corporate Archives of Georg Fischer Ltd. The older holdings of the archives are also to be found on the premises of the ''Paradies'' convent.

Cultural property and heritage site of significance

The Iron Library is listed as Swiss cultural property of regional significance. The archives of Georg Fischer and the former

convent of ''Paradies'' in Altparadies are listed as Swiss heritage sites of national significance. The entire ''Paradies'' monastery is included in the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.

Literature

*Annual Report 2019. Iron Library Foundation and Corporate Archives of Georg Fischer Ltd. Romanshorn 2020. ISSN 2297-8496.

References

External links

Official Website of Iron Library
''(Eisenbibliothek)''

Iron Library
at e-codices {{Authority control Libraries in Switzerland Cultural property of regional significance in Thurgau Thurgau