Hungary's oldest library is fighting to save 100,000 books from a beetle infestation
The 1,000-year-old Pannonhalma Archabbey is a sprawling Benedictine monastery that is one of Hungary's oldest centers of learning and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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CNN
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Hungary's oldest library is fighting to save 100,000 books from a beetle infestation
Tens of thousands of centuries-old books are being pulled from the shelves of a medieval abbey in Hungary in an effort to save them from a beetle infestation that could wipe out centuries of history. The 1,000-year-old Pannonhalma Archabbey is a sprawling Benedictine monastery that is one of Hungary's oldest centers of learning and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Restoration workers are removing about 100,000 handbound books from their shelves and carefully placing them in crates, the start of a disinfection process that aims to kill the tiny beetles burrowed into them. The drugstore beetle, also known as the bread beetle, is often found among dried foodstuffs like grains, flour and spices. But they also are attracted to the gelatin and starch-based adhesives found in books. They have been found in a section of the library housing around a quarter of the abbey's 400,000 volumes. 'This is an advanced insect infestation which has been detected in several parts of the library, so the entire collection is classified as infected and must be treated all at the same time,' said Zsófia Edit Hajdu, the chief restorer on the project. 'We've never encountered such a degree of infection before.' The beetle invasion was first detected during a routine library cleaning. Employees noticed unusual layers of dust on the shelves and then saw that holes had been burrowed into some of the book spines. Upon opening the volumes, burrow holes could be seen in the paper where the beetles chewed through. The abbey at Pannonhalma was founded in 996, four years before the establishment of the Kingdom of Hungary. Sitting upon a tall hill in northwestern Hungary, the abbey houses the country's oldest collection of books, as well as many of its earliest and most important written records. For over 1,000 years, the abbey has been among the most prominent religious and cultural sites in Hungary and all of Central Europe, surviving centuries of wars and foreign incursions such as the Ottoman invasion and occupation of Hungary in the 16th century. Ilona Ásványi, director of the Pannonhalma Archabbey library, said she is 'humbled' by the historical and cultural treasures the collection holds whenever she enters. 'It is dizzying to think that there was a library here a thousand years ago, and that we are the keepers of the first book catalogue in Hungary,' she said. Among the library's most outstanding works are 19 codices, including a complete Bible from the 13th century. It also houses several hundred manuscripts predating the invention of the printing press in the mid-15th century and tens of thousands of books from the 16th century. While the oldest and rarest prints and books are stored separately and have not been infected, Ásványi said any damage to the collection represents a blow to cultural, historical and religious heritage. 'When I see a book chewed up by a beetle or infected in any other way, I feel that no matter how many copies are published and how replaceable the book is, a piece of culture has been lost,' she said. To kill the beetles, the crates of books are being placed into tall, hermetically sealed plastic sacks from which all oxygen is removed. After six weeks in the pure nitrogen environment, the abbey hopes all the beetles will be destroyed. Before being reshelved, each book will be individually inspected and vacuumed. Any book damaged by the pests will be set aside for later restoration work. The abbey, which hopes to reopen the library at the beginning of next year, believes the effects of climate change played a role in spurring the beetle infestation as average temperatures rise rapidly in Hungary. Hajdu, the chief restorer, said higher temperatures have allowed the beetles to undergo several more development cycles annually than they could in cooler weather. 'Higher temperatures are favorable for the life of insects,' she said. 'So far we've mostly dealt with mold damage in both depositories and in open collections. But now I think more and more insect infestations will appear due to global warming.' The library's director said life in a Benedictine abbey is governed by a set of rules in use for nearly 15 centuries, a code that obliges them to do everything possible to save its vast collection. 'It says in the Rule of Saint Benedict that all the property of the monastery should be considered as of the same value as the sacred vessel of the altar,' Ásványi said. 'I feel the responsibility of what this preservation and conservation really means.'
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CARsgen Successfully Defends Its GPC3 CAR-T Patent at the EPO
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Yahoo
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Construction workers break ground on first-of-its-kind nuclear facility: 'The most significant development'
Across the world, investment in renewable energy is evident. Now, advances in Romania are pushing the needle closer to a clean energy future. According to Romania Insider, construction of Europe's very first tritium removal facility began in early June 2025. This would put the facility in a great position for future nuclear fusion processes. The work is happening at a nuclear power plant in Cernavodă and was called "the most significant development in Romania's nuclear sector since the commissioning of Cernavodă's Unit 2 reactor" by Sebastian Burduja, the Minister of Energy in Romania, according to Romania Insider. In simple terms, nuclear energy works by harnessing the energy contained in an atom's nucleus — either by splitting the atom (in nuclear fission) or by combining atoms (in nuclear fusion). "Nuclear fusion is the process by which two light atomic nuclei combine to form a single heavier one while releasing massive amounts of energy," the International Atomic Energy Agency has stated. By removing tritium from the water used in existing nuclear fission reactors, the water can, in turn, be reused, and the tritium stored for fuel in future nuclear fusion reactors — as Romania Insider explained. This process conserves two vital resources at once. "This project positions Romania among the few countries capable of producing and exporting tritium — seen as the fuel of the future for fusion energy programs …" Energy Minister Burduja said to the news outlet. Nuclear energy is the largest source of "clean energy" in the U.S, according to the Department of Energy (defining it as clean energy because it produces almost no carbon pollution). It can supply energy on demand — unlike wind and solar, which rely on the weather or time of day — making the move away from dirty fuel sources more seamless. Nuclear fission, which generates electricity today, does create radioactive waste and has a history of uncommon but significant disasters. By comparison, nuclear fusion, which is still in development for producing electricity, has advantages that include not creating long-lived radioactive waste while producing abundant clean energy. Investing in renewable energy for your home is another way to tap into the benefits of pollution-free energy — such as cleaner air, a smaller carbon footprint, and cheaper utility bills. A straightforward way of doing this is the installation of rooftop solar panels. Should we be pouring money into nuclear fusion technology? Yes — it'll pay off It's worth exploring Not from our tax dollars No — it's a waste Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Not only can these panels bring your personal electric bill down to at or near $0 a month, but they also don't release the toxic, heat-trapping fumes that are produced by power plants that rely on coal, gas, or oil. EnergySage provides a free service that makes it easy to compare quotes from vetted local installers and save up to $10,000 on your new solar installations. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
