Leipziger Buchmesse in Zahlen Leipzig Book Fair in figures
Leipziger Buchmesse in Zahlen Leipzig Book Fair in figures
Leipziger Buchmesse in Zahlen Leipzig Book Fair in figures
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A Trade <strong>Fair</strong> experienc<strong>in</strong>g change<br />
“Mother of all <strong>Fair</strong>s” has also contributed greatly to <strong>Leipzig</strong>’s excellent<br />
6/7<br />
reputation as a city of books: books have been traded dur<strong>in</strong>g the fair s<strong>in</strong>ce<br />
the end of the 15th century, with the number of titles be<strong>in</strong>g exhibited<br />
outstripp<strong>in</strong>g that of its great rival Frankfurt am Ma<strong>in</strong> for the first time <strong>in</strong><br />
1632. <strong>Leipzig</strong> then became the proud capital of the pr<strong>in</strong>ted word for 200<br />
years from the middle of the 18th century, with the <strong>in</strong>tellectual and com-<br />
mercial, artists and merchants, book pr<strong>in</strong>ces and the Börsen vere<strong>in</strong> book-<br />
sellers association all m<strong>in</strong>gl<strong>in</strong>g to create a unique culture.<br />
<strong>Leipzig</strong> lost its pre-em<strong>in</strong>ence as a trad<strong>in</strong>g centre for books after 1945.<br />
But the <strong>Book</strong> <strong>Fair</strong> survives and transforms the “secret capital” of the GDR<br />
<strong>in</strong>to a centre of reunification for a short time early each year. Until 1989,<br />
the Messehaus am Markt rema<strong>in</strong>ed a Mecca for book lovers from East<br />
and West and a veritable ch<strong>in</strong>k <strong>in</strong> the wall separat<strong>in</strong>g both. The end of the<br />
division of Europe also marked the end of an era of universal exhibitions<br />
<strong>in</strong> <strong>Leipzig</strong> itself, with one of the most modern exhibition venues <strong>in</strong> Europe<br />
be<strong>in</strong>g erected <strong>in</strong> record time before the portals of the city, an event loca-<br />
tion that hosts around 30 specialised exhibitions and trade fairs every<br />
year. The move <strong>in</strong> 1998 also represented a new chapter for the <strong>Leipzig</strong><br />
<strong>Book</strong> <strong>Fair</strong>. The future of read<strong>in</strong>g is many-faceted. With its close <strong>in</strong>volve-<br />
ment with the public and consistent <strong>in</strong>vestment <strong>in</strong> new topics, the most<br />
important spr<strong>in</strong>g forum <strong>in</strong> the sector <strong>in</strong> the German-speak<strong>in</strong>g world<br />
mirrors the un<strong>in</strong>terrupted fasc<strong>in</strong>ation that has always been associated<br />
with books.