Our Presentation at the Leipzig Book Fair focuses on the Cabinet of Artefacts and Natural Curiosities

On 12 October 1995, one of today's rare universal collections of the 18th century, the Francke Foundations' Baroque Cabinet of Artefacts and Natural Curiosities, founded in 1698, was reopened after extensive reconstruction. To mark the occasion, the Francke Foundations' publishing house is presenting its broad portfolio on this subject at this year's book fair in Leipzig (Hall 2, Stand D 206).

Thomas Müller-Bahlke: Die Wunderkammer der Franckeschen Stiftungen
Photographs Klaus E. Göltz. Second, revised and expanded edition. Halle 2012. 176 S., 152 Abb., € 42,00; ISBN 978-3-447-06986-1
A high-quality illustrated book on the Francke Foundations' Cabinet of Artefacts and Natural Curiosities is now available in its second revised edition. Thomas Müller-Bahlke, who reopened the Cabinet in 1995, presents the knowledge and collecting practices of Halle Pietism as one of the most important reform movements between the Enlightenment and modernity. 150 partly large-format art photographs of the collection cabinets and selected objects provide detailed insights into the teaching collection originally designed for the teaching of realia in the schools of Halle Pietism. Background information, quotes from sources and impressions from contemporary witnesses make this illustrated book a literary tour and a fundamental work for anyone interested in the diversity of 18th century collecting culture.

Das fliegende Krokodil. Ein Mitmachbuch zur Wunderkammer der Franckeschen Stiftungen zum Entdecken, Malen, Rätseln und Erforschen. With drawings by Matthias Beckmann. Halle 2014. 104 S., numerous illustrations, € 14,00; ISBN 978-3-939922-47-6
This hands-on book for the whole family about the mysterious and strange Wunderkammer of the Francke Foundations in the former dormitory of the orphan boys in the historic orphanage is aimed at children and young people. The book invites children aged 8 to 14 to discover and explore this wondrous world through many puzzles, experiments and interesting texts. The interactive book is digitally enhanced by interactive audio plays online. Children and families help Tayé the crocodile to save the »Stimmen der Dinge«.

Wunderkammer-Puzzle Monumente Publications, Artikel-Nr. SP1852, ISBN 978-3-86795-185-2, Format: ca. 70 x 50 cm, 28,40 Euro
A special feature of the Francke Foundations' Baroque cabinet of curiosities are the complete and original collection cabinets. Artfully designed crowning motifs provide information about each part of the collection on display. Together with the Deutsche Stiftungen Denkmalschutz, a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle with the crowning motif of the animal cupboard of the Baroque cabinet of curiosities has been created, which is available via the webshop and will be presented for the first time at the book fair.

NEW PUBLICATIONS AT THE LEIPZIG BOOK FAIR 2025

Thomas Grunewald: Das Planarchiv der Franckeschen Stiftungen.
The school town in drawings and sketches of the 18th century. Halle 2024. 176 S., 115 Abb., € 44,00; ISBN 978-3-447-12334-1
The cultural-historical archive of the Francke Foundations in the August Hermann Francke Study Centre has a hitherto largely unexplored treasure: the plan archive. This uniquely extensive collection of exceptional quality and significance for a civic foundation in the early modern period is now being presented to experts and the general public for the first time in an illustrated book. Of the more than 3,300 plans in the Francke Foundations' plan archive, 1,148 date from the 18th century: a treasure trove of exceptional value, comparable in quantity and quality to the world-famous palace buildings at Versailles and Sanssouci.

Frühneuzeitliche Schularchitekturen. Internationale und interdisziplinäre Perspektiven. Hrsg. von Thomas Grunewald. Halle 2024 (Hallesche Forschungen, 67). VI, 405 S., 97 Abb., € 87,00; ISBN 978-3-447-12212-2, eISBN 978-3-447-39534-2
The question of the development of dedicated school architecture has so far been associated with European modernism in historical educational research and architectural history. Taking into account interdisciplinary perspectives and using internationally selected examples, this volume shows that even before the epochal change around 1800, various building forms existed that explicitly served pedagogical purposes.

Michael Rocher: »Mit neuem Eifer an der Bildung junger Leute zu arbeiten«. Das Pädagogium Regium Halle und das Philanthropin Dessau im bildungsräumlichen Vergleich. Halle 2025 (Hallesche Forschungen, 69). XI, 539 S., 4 Abb., 19 Diagrams, 62 Charts, € 89,00; ISBN 978-3-447-12273-3, eISBN 978-3-447-39566-3
The Pädagogium Regium and the Dessau Philanthropin are still regarded today as model schools of the 18th century. This study scrutinises the exemplary nature of both institutions on the basis of extensive, hitherto little-noticed sources. Based on their institutional development, both schools are compared not only with each other, but also with other secondary schools of the time in terms of the social structure of their student bodies, their school organisation and their curricula. This approach makes it possible for the first time to categorise the schools in the Central European Protestant educational area of the 18th century.