library's founding stock A parchment Bible coloured by Lucas Cranach the Younger of the Anhaltine Prince Johann IV. from the year 1541 A bestseller of the Renaissance from Francesco Colonna The incunabulum was [...] German-speaking world: VD 17 Art treasures of the library: Rahel and Marcus Levin Painted in 1783 by Johann Christoph Frisch. Depicted is Rahel Varnhagen von Ense, née Levin, with her brother, detail of the

was founded, manuscripts already formed part of the library’s collections. Its first librarian was Johann Raue (1610-1679) , Professor at the Joachimsthalsche Gymnasium in Berlin and School superintendent