Historic files - how they were saved



Lucky circumstances are responsible for the fact that a few thousand historic original files, like court protocols, last wills, food lists, etc. are now in safe hands of the Bamberg archives.

When the old “Landgericht of Bamberg” (the high court of the town) cleaned up their old archives between 1830 and 1840 they were selling all the old documents on some sort of "flee market" on the Schrannenplatz in Bamberg.

In the Dominikanergasse 7 a man named Mr. BEYER had his shop - he was also producing soap - and he bought “all the paper” to use it as packing paper for his clients.

One of them, Mr. Johann Adam Messerschmitt bought some nails in this shop and when he was back at home he recognized that his nails were packed in ORIGINAL WITCH COURT FILES and due to the fact, that this man was very interested in history, he went back to the shop of Mr. Beyer and bought all the rest of the existing papers.

After his death, his family gave the papers to the Staatsbibliothek of Bamberg, where they still are ...