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Indian Express
14-07-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
How Hungary's 1,000-year-old library is tackling a beetle infestation to save 1 lakh books
A 1,000-year-old monastery in Hungary has begun a major effort to save around 100,000 old books from a beetle infestation. The Pannonhalma Archabbey, one of the oldest centres of learning in the country and a UNESCO World Heritage site, has started removing books from its shelves to protect them from drugstore beetles. These insects feed on the glue and paper inside books. 'This is an advanced insect infestation,' said Zsófia Edit Hajdu, the chief restorer. 'It has been detected in several parts of the library, so the entire collection must be treated together', according to a report by Associated Press (AP). The beetles were found in a part of the library that holds about a quarter of its 400,000 books. They were first noticed during routine cleaning, when staff saw dust and holes in book spines. Founded in 996, the abbey is located on a hill in northwest Hungary. It houses the country's oldest book collection and some of its earliest written records. Over the centuries, the abbey has survived wars and occupations. Ilona Ásványi, the director of the library, said she often thinks about the responsibility that comes with caring for such an old collection. 'There was a library here a thousand years ago,' she said. 'We are the keepers of the first book catalogue in Hungary.' The collection includes 19 medieval codices, such as a full Bible from the 1200s, and hundreds of handwritten documents from before the invention of printing. Many printed books from the 1500s are also kept there. Ásványi said the most rare and valuable items are stored separately and have not been affected. But she still sees the damage as serious. 'When I see a book chewed up by a beetle or infected in any way, I feel that even if the book is replaceable, a part of culture is lost,' she said. To stop the infestation, the books are being packed into sealed plastic sacks. Oxygen is removed from the bags and replaced with nitrogen. They will stay in this environment for six weeks to kill any insects. After the treatment, each book will be checked and cleaned. Damaged books will be set aside for repair. The abbey believes climate change may be behind the infestation. Rising temperatures in Hungary may allow the beetles to breed more often than in the past. 'Higher temperatures are favourable for the life of insects,' Hajdu said. 'Until now, we mostly dealt with mould. But I think more insect infestations will appear due to global warming.' The library is expected to reopen early next year. Ásványi said the abbey follows the Rule of Saint Benedict, a set of guidelines that has shaped monastic life for over 1,400 years. 'It says all property of the monastery should be valued like the sacred vessel of the altar,' she said. 'That is the level of care we must take.' (with inputs from AP)
NBC News
13-07-2025
- Science
- NBC News
Hungary's oldest library is fighting to save 100,000 books from a beetle infestation
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. Books will spend weeks in an oxygen-free environment 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. Climate change may have contributed 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."
