Special exhibition in the Wetzlar City Museum: The fascinating world of bookplates!

Special exhibition in the Wetzlar City Museum: The fascinating world of bookplates!

A very special treat for book lovers and art lovers is just around the corner: from July 3rd to October 12th, 2025, the Wetzlar City Museum is offering an exciting special exhibition about bookplates. In collaboration with the Forest Museum Dr. Kanngiesser in Braunfels presents rare bookplates from the impressive collection of Alexander Kerrutt as well as items on loan from the Giessen University Library. The exhibition highlights the fascinating history and design diversity of exlibris, which have been part of book culture since the 15th century, as [mittelhessen.de](https://www.mittelhessen.de/lokales/lahn-dill-kreis/wetzlar/ exhibition-zu-exlibris-zeichen-4713145) reports.

What are bookplates anyway? These bookmarks were originally created to identify a book owner. They were already widespread in Werther's time, and their tradition began parallel to the invention of printing and graphic techniques in the 15th century. The current exhibits in the Wetzlar exhibition provide an insight into the different thematic orientation of bookplates and also tell of the city's history of Wetzlar. The first presentation is complemented by an accompanying catalog, available for 20 euros. For collectors there is also a limited special edition with ex-libris by artists from Wroclaw and Rome at a price of 30 euros, as wetzlar.de adds.

A look at the collection

The exhibition in the city museum offers a selection from one of the largest private collections of bookplates in Germany. Alexander Kerrutt has brought together a unique legacy that is not only artistically valuable, but also shows the development and change in the field of book graphics. The collection is supplemented by two loans of early ex-libris from the Giessen University Library, which give the visitor a comprehensive picture of the history of ex-libris.

Another exciting aspect of the exhibition is the composition of the bookplates themselves. These small works of art were and are a playground for graphic artists and book lovers. In the Middle Ages, for example, both nuns and monks worked as scribes, with the book collector Margarethe von Rodemachern emerging as an important figure of the late Middle Ages. She surrounded herself with a select circle of book enthusiasts and recorded part of her family history in her books. These are just a few examples that bring us closer to the rich tradition of books and their symbols, as described in deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de.

Visit and collector's editions

If you would like to see this cultural enrichment for yourself, you can visit the city museum on Lottestrasse, which is open daily from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The exhibition not only impresses with its content, but also with the opportunity to take a piece of bookplate art home with you. An interesting overview of the art of bookmarks awaits all visitors and will also be available next year in the Dr. Forest Museum. Kanngiesser in Braunfels will continue from March 21st to May 31st, 2026.

Whether as a work of art or as part of your own book collection – bookplates are more than just bookmarks. They are little stories waiting to be discovered.