If you read an average of one book per day, it would take you over three hundred years to read all the volumes of books in Castle Solms’ private library.
I don’t know if the scary part is that there are that many books, or the fact that I did the math to figure out how long it would take to read them. Too bad a lifetime isn’t long enough to read them all (unless you know how to photo read).
It’s one of the largest private collections on the entire European continent and is lucky enough to have a 15th century Gutenberg Bible.
Now, before you go thinking BIG STINKIN’ DEAL, wait a minute. The fact the 13th century Castle itself is a piece of Laubach’s history on its own (check out the English Garden); consider how it’s even possible to acquire over a hundred thousand books (120,000 to be exact) AND that Gutenberg Bible is one of the first to be printed by a printing press.
Significant, yes? I’d say so!
Come over to Laubach’s Heimatmuseum for some more local history, created by Count August Solms-Laubach. Hmm, those Laubach Counts sure do like collecting things. ;-)
Two more historical stops and you can run off for the “fun” parts. The Evangelical Lutheran Church (used to be called St. Maria’s) oldest part dates to the 12th century and has a magnificent Baroque Organ. But, if you scope out all the timberframed houses along the way, you’ve done both for the price of one!
OK, I promised — it’s time for the fun. Laubach’s Folk Festival has been going on since around 1540, although the Hessian Blues Festival is a much younger party (but, they’re both fun!). Not your style of music? Try one of the the Schlosspark Concerts instead, where a nice place to sit is right by the lake.
A more cultural activity is La Mansion Cotta, also known as Garden & Country House Day. If hobnobbing with others isn’t for you, trek out into the Laubach Woods which run dead smack into the Vogelsberg Mountains. I guess if you really start walking uphill, you’ve found them!
Now, where’d I put my book — I got reading to do!
