The study centre receives an ART edition of the Wiedmann Bible

On March 19th, 2023 another very special treasure was added to the Study Center of the Francke Foundations: Martin Wiedmann, son of the Stuttgart artist Willy Wiedmann (1929-2913), presented the director of the Study Center, Dr. Klosterberg, and Pastor Sven Hanson, director of the Canstein Bible Center, with an ART edition of the Wiedmann Bible. This hand-bound, limited edition of only 3333 copies (one of which is owned by the Pope) features numerous Bible illustrations from the leporello, which is a total of 1.2 Km long in its original form, supplemented by text excerpts from the 2017 Luther Bible. 

Under the direction of Sven Hanson, the fascination and history of the Wiedmann Bible will be on display in an exhibition in the Canstein Bible Center's Historic Storage Building on the Foundation grounds until March 19, 2023. The Canstein Bible Center, the world's first Bible institute, was founded as early as 1710 by Carl Hildebrand Freiherr von Canstein, who worked with August Hermann Francke to make the Bible accessible to a wider public. Thus, numerous different Bible editions in various translations have existed in the Foundations' archives since the early 18th century. The ART edition of the Wiedmann Bible is thus not only a valuable addition to the collection, but also part of a long tradition of collecting.

The exhibition The Wiedmann Bible is open until March 19, 2023.