Special exhibition on Jacob Moyat's library at the City Library
On the occasion of the annual meeting of the German Ornithological Society, to be held September 16–20, 2026, at the University of Mainz, the University Library (Rheinallee 3B, 1st floor, 55116 Mainz) will host a small-scale exhibition featuring items from the Moyat Special Collection from September 7 through October 2, 2026.
This historically significant collection of ornithological books is named after its collector, Jacob (also Jakob) Moyat (1861–1933) of Mainz, and contains approximately 1,200 titles dating from the 16th to the 20th century. According to Rolf Schlenker (1937–2023), a renowned ornithologist, the collection represents an immeasurable treasure, as it encompasses not only the complete body of relevant literature on ornithology available in Moyat’s time—from the most famous and valuable illustrated volumes to the small-format, often unillustrated books on bird trapping and birdkeeping, which are extremely rare today. At the same time, it also contains unique handwritten sources, such as the ornithological diary of Friedrich Heinrich von Kittlitz (1799–1874), written between 1816 and 1824, partly in the region around Mainz, as well as the manuscript on the birds of the Province of Brandenburg by Hermann Hocke (1844–1910).
The exhibition features both particularly beautiful and particularly rare pieces from the collection.
Admission is free.
Image caption
A breeding Eurasian tawny owl (Strix aluco) in the root area of a tree, with an egg beneath it. Hand-colored original drawing (plate 7) from: Martin Theodor von Heuglin: Ornithological Atlas (autograph), [no place, 1842–1850]. Call number: Moyat 332, © Mainz City Library
