Bibliothèque humaniste de Sélestat
Museum in Sélestat devoted to Renaissance humanism, with the library of Beatus Rhenanus, inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.
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About the museum
The Bibliothèque humaniste of Sélestat grew out of a parish library founded in 1452 thanks to a gift from Johannes von Westhuss, the rector of the church. Liturgical books and works for the Latin school, which enjoyed a high reputation across the Rhine region, were added through further donations. When the humanist Beatus Rhenanus, a native of Sélestat and friend of Erasmus, died in 1547, he bequeathed his personal library to his birthplace.
The two collections were brought together in the church of Saint-Georges, then moved in 1840 to the town hall and in 1889 to the corn exchange, where the building took on a tourist role. When the intercommunal media library was created in 1997, public reading was transferred there, and the Bibliothèque humaniste focused on preserving and presenting its collections. In 2011 the library of Beatus Rhenanus was inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.
After four years of works starting in 2014, the architect Rudy Ricciotti restructured the neo-Romanesque corn exchange and added an extension in pink sandstone. The permanent route follows the life of Beatus Rhenanus, presents the Trésor with its medieval manuscripts and 15th- and 16th-century printed books, and then explores Sélestat during the Renaissance, the great discoveries, the Reformation and the shift from manuscript to print.
Highlights
- Library of Beatus Rhenanus, inscribed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register
- The Trésor of medieval manuscripts and 15th- and 16th-century printed books
- Introduction to Cosmographiae, the text in which the name “America” first appears
- Digital device for leafing through digitised books
- Corn exchange restructured by Rudy Ricciotti
- Children’s route, activity booklet and workshops
Permanent exhibition
- Exposition permanente : sur les traces de Beatus Rhenanus – The route presents the life of the humanist Beatus Rhenanus, the Trésor of manuscripts and printed books, Sélestat during the Renaissance, and the shift from manuscript to print.
- Founded
- 1452
- Operated by
- Ville de Sélestat
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €7.50 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €5Large families, groups of 8 or more, holders of the Made in Alsace card, visitors to the Haut-Kœnigsbourg castle or the Maison du Pain d’Alsace with their ticket, holders of a guest card from certain territories, members of the Friends association |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 25 · Free admission for children and young people aged 0 to 25. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freeFree admission for visitors with reduced mobility or disabilities. |
| Students & apprentices | freeFree admission for students. |
| Groups (8+ people) | €5 per personPrice per person for groups of 8 or more; group leaders enter free. |
| Families | –Reduced rate for large families. |
| Annual pass (personal, unlimited free and guided visits, permanent and temporary exhibitions) | €20 |
| Ambassador pass (like the annual pass, with one guest invited to each visit) | €30 |
| Supplement for the daily guided tour (in addition to admission) | €2 |
Free admission: National Heritage Days and other open-door days
Also free for job seekers, holders of the Pass Musée and Pass Alsace, tour guides, library, museum and archive professionals, journalists holding a press card, and donors who have given more than €50 during the year. A ticket bought at the Bibliothèque humaniste entitles you to a reduced-rate admission at the Maison du Pain d’Alsace, and vice versa. Payment by bank card, cash, cheque or ANCV holiday voucher (no change given).
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking
- Service dogs welcome
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The entire museum is accessible to visitors with reduced mobility and is equipped with a lift. The Bibliothèque humaniste car park has one reserved space for people with reduced mobility. Animals are not allowed, except guide dogs and assistance dogs.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 25 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
- Kids’ birthday parties
Illustrated children’s route for ages 6 to 12 and the activity booklet “Sur les traces de Beatus” for ages 8 to 12, free at the front desk. Birthday parties for ages 7 to 12 (alchemy or manuscript illumination workshop, €10 per child, minimum charge €60). Free admission for visitors under 25.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Gare de Sélestat · 10-min walk
Sélestat railway station on the Strasbourg–Sélestat–Colmar–Mulhouse line (TGV Est stop), about a 10-minute walk from the museum.
By car
Paid parking · 2-min walk · 200 m to the entrance
Paid car park with 44 spaces at 10 boulevard du Général Leclerc, near the tourist office, including one space for people with reduced mobility.
- Accessible parking
By car via the A35 motorway (exit 16 Sélestat centre – ZI Nord when coming from Strasbourg; exit 18 Sélestat centre when coming from Colmar). The museum is in the town centre, near the Saint-Georges church.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
- Coat check
- Lockers
Shop in the entrance hall (books, calligraphy objects, games, reproductions of old maps); the Salon Érasme, a place to take a break; free individual cloakrooms at the front desk. No Wi-Fi information is available on the museum’s website.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
- Private parties
- Corporate events
Up to 128 guests.
Auditorium of 200 m² (128 seats) and Salon Érasme of 105 m² (100 standing guests); rates on request; free guided tours of the spaces are offered before hire.
Inquiries & detailsPlan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Self-guided visits with mediation tools, or a daily guided tour in French from Tuesday to Sunday at 15:00, from February to December, without booking (maximum 25 people, €2 supplement). Groups by reservation, with visit formats, book presentations, an introduction to calligraphy or a linocut workshop. |
