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Opening of the Exhibition “In Pursuit of Knowledge: Six Hundred Years of Leipzig University, 1409-2009”
Mr. William Helfand,
Professor Ulrich Johannes Schneider,
Professor Christoph Wolff,
Distinguished Guests,
It is a great pleasure to be at the Grolier Club. I sincerely congratulate one of the oldest societies of bibliophiles in North America to its 125th birthday. Thank you, Mr. Helfand, for your warm welcome and introduction, and for your generous hospitality and friendship in hosting us tonight.
Professor Schneider and Professor Wolff, I warmly congratulate you and your team to the 600th anniversary of the University of Leipzig. You are representing a university that is precisely 10 times older than the Federal Republic of Germany, which turned 60 this year. Due to the commitment and dedication of professors and researchers - like you - the University of Leipzig has such an outstanding reputation. Thank you for your tireless and unwavering efforts to bring this fascinating exhibition “Pursuit of Knowledge” to New York.
When hearing “in pursuit of…” our American friends almost instinctively add “….of happiness”. After all, “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness“ is one of the most famous phrases of the United States Declaration of Independence.
Well, you are not alone. The citizens of Leipzig also know a thing or two about “life, liberty and happiness” even in difficult circumstances.
Of course, the most impressive strive for liberty and happiness took place in 1989 - when Leipzig became known as the city of the peaceful revolution. “We are the people” and “we are one people” – these were the calls when hundreds of thousands took to the streets – laying the foundation for what became the first peaceful and successful revolution of freedom in German history. And so, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall this year, we are also paying tribute to the courage and the steadfastness of the participants of the Leipzig demonstrations. And today, 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Leipzig once again is economically, scientificly, socially and culturally one of the most innovative and vibrant cities in Saxony.
Our history and literary heritage are important parts of our knowledge. They tell us who we are, why we are the way we are – and they help us build the bridge to our future.
To emphasize this point, allow me to single out one unique historic print on display: the Machsor Lipsiae, a splendidly adorned Hebrew manuscript from 1320 – one of the most beautiful examples of medieval bookmaking. In 2009 - nearly 700 years later - the newly restorated Jewish Cultural Center, the “Ariowitsch-Haus”, reopened its doors to the public in Leipzig. Their Jewish community of 1,300 is still 10 times smaller than the pre-war community, but it is thriving.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today’s digital age revolutionized Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press - and its full extent might be beyond comprehension for most of us. The Internet created a vast, limitless, virtual library that is easily accessible and always open. This is an irreversible development - and yet also a beneficial development. But modern information technologies are developing at such a fast pace, that they sometimes easily undermine the most fundamental international copyright rules and anti-trust regulations, and thereby severely harm authors, publishers and libraries. It is, therefore, essential, that a settlement allowing Google to sell digital books on the Internet will respect these basic requirements and that – in general terms – modern information technology does not create de-facto-monopolies over the dissemination of digital information.
Lastly, I would like to draw your attention to the vast and rich exchange between the Leipzig University and American universities in particular since the 18th century. As Benjamin Franklin said over 200 years ago: “Investing in knowledge always pays the best interest” – and indeed, his words certainly hold true in today’s global world.
Thank you.
