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Our team of bookbinders at Maria Laach Abbey

The globe was spinning too fast... throwing us all off course. The whole world is unhinged, nothing is the way it used to be. We all had to bitterly feel how vulnerable mankind is - despite outstanding scientific advances. We sincerely hope it hasn't hit any of you hard.

Economically speaking, it is a disaster for countless people. Our bookbinding team at the Benedictine Abbey Maria Laach has also been affected. Brother Jakobus and Cornelia Kurtz, who are restoring our old books and games with so much expertise and dedication, had to cancel classes for the time being.

On our photo they are still laughing happily - as always in the workshop. Because at that time they had no idea of what was coming.

 

Abbey Maria Laach at need

This hits the monastery hard, as the Seehotel and the bookstore are also closed. As is the guest house. The garden centre is just ticking over.

Monastic silence thus.

This hurts because the abbey at Lake Laach, surrounded by light forests, is like no other place a source of strength and peace - no matter which religion you belong to.

 

Existence endangered

And Cornelia Kurtz, whose illustrations we value so much, loses a piece of her livelihood. Together with Brother Jakobus, she had just developed a programme of courses that met with a broad response. The waiting lists for the bookbinding workshops are long.

But when can they start again? Nobody knows.

Our "Encourage Me" campaign

That's why Cornelia's colourful cards are offered in an "Encourage" campaign, even if they are not at all antiquarian. Each card is unique, hand-colored and printed with own typefaces.

Perfect to send a portion of confidence to friends, acquaintances, colleagues by mail home. Now that you can only greet each other from afar. You have probably already discovered the cards on our homepage.

 

Cartovin for a good cause

Covid 19, this rapidly spreading virus, also has an impact on our wine production. Because disinfectants are in short supply in hospitals and pharmacies and profit sharks are charging usurious prices, we and our friends from the Freiherr von Landenberg Winery in Ediger-Eller, under whose flag we sail as amateur winemakers,   now supply wine from 2018 and earlier years to a local distillery. We will take 3000 - 4000 litres out of our assortment. The distiller first extracts pure alcohol from it and refines it to a disinfectant. We don't earn any money with it. On the contrary. We're out of pocket. But we see this as an act of solidarity in a time when every individual person counts.

More pictures and information in the webshop under "Cartovin".