Writing Culture in Southern German Women's Convents

'Writing Culture in Southern German Women's Convents' was the focus of a project funded from September 2008 until May 2012 by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) as part of its action plan on 'Libraries and Archives in Cooperation with Research'. This programmatic new approach made possible the cataloguing, digitisation and academic study of medieval manuscripts and early printed books as well as of pragmatic documents and archival records from five selected southern German women's convents.

Jointly organised by the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek in Munich and the Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv, the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität in Münster / Heinrich-Heine-Universität in Düsseldorf, the project studied the medieval books of these Bavarian convents and their archival holdings (until 1550) and now presents them embedded in their historical context. The manuscripts, archival records and incunables created or formerly owned by the Dominican sisters of Altenhohenau, the Bridgettines of Altomünster, the Poor Clares (St. Jakob am Anger) and Franciscan Tertiaries (Pütrichhaus) of Munich and the Benedictines of Neuburg an der Donau allowed systematic insights into the convent libraries, economic management and the particular roles of office holders. More broadly the project offered new perspectives on the education, internal organisation and the self-conception of these religious communities.

After the dissolution of these houses the historical records were divided up and as a result, books and documents are today preserved in libraries as well as in archives. It was therefore crucial to bring them back together under an overall perspective. Through a synthesis of the source material, the rich heritage of these often highly-educated women and their engagement with literature can be assessed and presented in an unprecedented way, within the wider context of these politically and economically influential communities.

When the project expired, the project partner provided in-house effort for the publication of the results. The documents have been recently made accessible online as well as in a printed catalogue.

A thematic research archive hosted by the Bayerische Landesbibliothek Online

https://www.bayerische-landesbibliothek-online.de/sueddeutsche-frauenkloester
offers introductory texts and an overview of the mediaeval holdings,structured by subject groups based on mediaeval ways of organising libraries and knowledge, to allow comparisons, despite the different quantity of source material from each convent. Links provide direct access to the digitised manuscripts, early printed books, documents and archival records. Manuscript descriptions are available online via http://www.manuscripta-mediaevalia.de.

The printed catalogue contains introductory material and detailed descriptions of the manuscripts from two of the convents as well as an overview of the printed material:

Katalog der lateinischen Handschriften der Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek München. Die Handschriften aus den Klöstern Altenhohenau und Altomünster: Clm 2901-2966 sowie Streubestände gleicher Provenienz, Anja Freckmann, Juliane Trede and Elisabeth Wunderle, eds, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2016.

Melanie Hömberg's study of the economic practices of the female communities, 'Economic Book Keeping in Context', is available on the homepage through a link. Almut Breitenbach's publications are listed in the bibliography.

With best wishes,

The Project Team

• Projektleitung, Universität Düsseldorf: Prof. Dr. Eva Schlotheuber
• Projektleitung, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München: Dr. Bettina Wagner
• Admin. Projektleitung, Generaldirektion der Staatlichen Archive Bayerns: Dr. Joachim Kemper, Dr. Michael Unger, Dr. Julian Holzapfl
• Projektkoordination: Dr. Ingrid Gardill
• Auswertung (Buchbestände): Dr. Almut Breitenbach
• Auswertung (Wirtschaftsschriftlichkeit): Dr. Melanie Hömberg
• Erschließung, Bayerisches Hauptstaatsarchiv: Daniel Russell, Dr. Silvia Strodel, Dr. Peter Urbanek
• Erschließung, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München: Dr. Anja Freckmann, Dr. Juliane Trede, Dr. Elisabeth Wunderle
• Online-Präsentation, Universität Düsseldorf: Anna Durwen, Anna Bündgens, Julius Wimmer
• Online-Präsentation, Bayerische Landesbibliothek Online: Dr. Stephan Kellner, Friedrich Ulf Röhrer-Ertl, Jasmina Zöller