Construction workers in Cologne unearth a structure that is believed to be the oldest German library.
During excavations in Cologne, archaeologists have discovered the foundations of Germany’s oldest verifiable library. Cologne historic preservation official Marcus Trier said on Wednesday that it was built in the 2nd century in Roman Cologne.
The foundations hark back to the 2nd century AD, when Cologne was part of the Roman empire, Marcus Trier, the director of the city's Romano-Germanic Museum said Wednesday. They were first discovered during construction work for a new church one year ago. "At first we thought they were the remains of a space for public gatherings," Trier said, but the walls had "unusual, cavernous structures."
After extensive research, including comparisons with other ancient buildings in Ephesus in modern day Turkey, it became clear that the structure had been a library. "At one point several thousands scrolls must have been stored here," Trier said.
The remains are set to be integrated into the new church building, as the local newspaper Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger reported, and are to be partially accessible to the public.
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