The sound of lutes and horns, paintings from a world where neither cars nor cellphones existed. By entering the exhibition “Prachtvoll – die Kostbarste Illustrierte der Welt” in Frankurt, the visitors are entering another world, the world of late Medieval. Medieval was a time of change, change is also reflected in the origin of the Bible which was about a whole century. As the only museum, the Bibelhaus presents the art historical important manuscript in an adventuresome way. The visitors do not only see an illustrated Bible but they will experience its origin, Protagonists and Medieval. There are statings, interpretations and objects about the oldest illustrated New Testament in German. What is the difference between the first costumer Ludwig VII. “The bearded” of Bavaria and count palatinate Ottheinrich? How did the artist Mathis Gerung work? How did the ordinary people live in Medieval? That question is answered in short films and with statings in the exhibition. On the basis of a script written by the Bibelhaus, Ottheinrich and Co. are set in scene. Wearing historical clothes, count palatinate Ottheinrich is talking to the visitors. He welcomes them and presents the origin of the Bible. In difference to the time Ludwig lived, letterpress was widely spread. In cause of this invention, it was not any more necessary to copy the holy scriptures by hand in a scriptorium. Even if Martin Luther, the most noted translator of biblical texts, was already known, the visitors will hear and moreover see a translation of the biblical texts in a “Pre-Luther-German”. Over the past centuries, the Ottheinrich-Bible changed hand very often. In addition to that, the visitors learn something about the Ottheinrich-Bibel on the market of cultural assets.
