The manuscript was previously thought to have been lost as a result of the war and was only known by its copy and the publication based on it by Wilhelm Lohse. The original has now been found within the framework of the current manuscript cataloging. First comparisons reveal significant transcription errors in the copy compared to the original - a differentiated comparison between the original and the copy will follow.

The so-called Lehe Chronicle (“Leher Chronik” in German) (brem.c.0425) was written in the 16th century and is one of only a few surviving early modern manuscripts on Lehe. Lehe is a district of Bremerhaven. In the manuscript, national and regional events of the time are described from the point of view of the evangelical clergyman Christian Emptes. Emptes was a preacher at the St. Stephani church in Bremen from the year 1548. The wars of Archbishop Christoph against Wursten and the border wars of the district of Lehe with its neighbors are extensively dealt with. The chronicle covers the years 1442 to 1550, and is especially detailed for the period from 1518, which its presumed author Christian Emptes can report on as a contemporary.

The Middle Low German manuscript in small octavo format was written in Bremen in the 16th century and comprises 130 pages. It is a valuable testimony not only to regional history, but also to the linguistic history of Middle Low German, as it is a record of Middle Low German written language from the time shortly before the introduction of High German as a written language in Bremen. The manuscript can be viewed by appointment in the SuUB's manuscript reading room.

Further Information:

SuUB: https://www.suub.uni-bremen.de/home-english/

Manuscript reading room: https://www.suub.uni-bremen.de/home-english/our-sites/central-library/manuscript-reading-room/

Contact:

Anke Winsmann
Press and Public Relations Officer
State and University Library Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-59572
Email: oeffentlichkeitsarbeit@suub.uni-bremen.de