The medieval Pannonhalma Archabbey in Hungary, which is over a thousand years old, is urgently evacuating its priceless book collection. About 100,000 volumes, including 13th-century manuscripts and early printed books, are under threat due to an infestation of drugstore beetles.
This was reported by UNN with reference to Euronews.
Details
The drugstore beetle, also known as the bread beetle, is often found among dry foods such as grain, flour, and spices. But it is also attracted to gelatin and starch-based glues, which can be found in books.
The beetles were found in the part of the library that houses about a quarter of the abbey's 400,000 volumes.
This is an advanced form of insect infestation that has been detected in several parts of the library, so the entire collection is classified as infested and must be treated simultaneously. We have never encountered such a degree of infestation before
The beetle infestation was first discovered during a routine cleaning of the library.
Workers noticed unusual layers of dust on the shelves, and then saw holes in the spines of some books. Upon opening the volumes, tunnels chewed by the beetles could be seen in the paper.
To eliminate the beetles, boxes of books are placed in tall, hermetically sealed plastic bags from which all oxygen is removed. The abbey hopes that after six weeks in a pure nitrogen environment, all beetles will be destroyed.
Before returning a book to the shelf, it will be individually inspected and vacuumed. Any book damaged by pests will be set aside for further restoration work.
Home to many historical treasures
The abbey in Pannonhalma was founded in 996, four years before the establishment of the Kingdom of Hungary. Located on a high hill in northwestern Hungary, it preserves the country's oldest collection of books, as well as many of its earliest and most important written monuments.
For over 1000 years, the abbey has been one of the most significant religious and cultural sites in Hungary and all of Central Europe, surviving centuries of wars and foreign invasions, such as the Ottoman invasion and occupation of Hungary in the 16th century.
Among the most prominent works in the library are 19 codices, including a complete 13th-century Bible. It also houses several hundred manuscripts that predate the invention of the printing press in the mid-15th century, and tens of thousands of 16th-century books.
Is climate change to blame?
The abbey, which hopes to reopen the library early next year, believes that the effects of climate change have played a role in stimulating the beetle infestation, as the average temperature in Hungary is rapidly rising.
Hajdu, the chief restorer, said that higher temperatures allowed the beetles to go through several more development cycles annually than in colder weather.
Higher temperatures are favorable for insect life
Until now, we have mostly dealt with mold damage in both storage and open collections. But now I think that due to global warming, more and more insect infestations will appear
The oldest publishing house in Ukraine ceases to exist29.11.24, 05:52 • [views_19984]
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