Machsor Lipsae, courtesy Leipzig University Library

Founded in 1409 by students of the Saxon nation who had withdrawn from the University of Prague, Leipzig University is, in consecutive years of existence, the second oldest university in Europe. A glance at its roster of former students—Goethe, Leibniz, Richard Wagner, and Angela Merkel among them—suggests the university’s central place in the intellectual, cultural, and political life of Germany and Europe alike. The six hundredth anniversary of the birth of such an august institution is certainly worthy of celebration. Yet the title of this odd little show is a bit misleading. “In Pursuit of Knowledge” is more a portrait of the Universitäts Bibliothek Leipzig than a celebration of Leipzig University’s history. In a way, it replicates the library in miniature: wide ranging, full of intriguing objects, but a little dour.

The wall texts here relate ...

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