Berlin Welcomed the International Rare Book World: The 46th ILAB Congress and Rare Book Week Berlin 2026 - Part 1 (3)

From 14 to 17 September 2026, antiquarian booksellers from across the world came together in Berlin for the 46th ILAB Congress. The last ILAB Congress held in Germany had taken place in Cologne in 1992, thirty-four years earlier and never before had an ILAB Congress been held in Berlin.

Berlin did not disappoint.

Germany's capital offered an extraordinary setting: from royal collections and Enlightenment scholarship to exile, censorship, division and reunification. Its institutions preserve the traces of Berlin's turbulent history while its contemporary cultural life attracts tourists all year round.
The Congress programme embraced all of these layers. It moved between small specialist archives and grand public collections, between the history of the divided city and the palaces of Potsdam, and offered professional exchange and the conviviality that has always been central to ILAB congresses.

The Verband Deutscher Antiquare, the German antiquarian booksellers' association, undertook an enormous organisational task. Under the leadership of VDA President Dr Markus Brandis, the team including Alexis Cassel of Metropolis Books Berlin, Dr Philipp Penka of Penka Rare Books and Archives, and book and art historian Dr Roland Jaeger worked for two years to assemble the programme. Their ambition was not simply to offer attractive visits, but to reveal the breadth of Berlin's book culture, including treasures in collections that are seldom accessible to the wider public. The result was a Congress of exceptional range, held with warmth, hospitality and generosity.

More than one hundred colleagues and guests took part, representing associations and businesses from across Europe, Australia and America. The Westin Grand on Friedrichstrasse served as the Congress centre, placing participants within walking distance of Unter den Linden, the Brandenburg Gate, Museum Island and the Staatsbibliothek.

The Congress opened on Monday evening with a welcome dinner at Restaurant Einstein on Unter den Linden. It was an appropriately relaxed beginning, allowing congress participants to settle after often long journeys.
Old friends met again, new committee members and association presidents were introduced, and colleagues who may sometimes only know one another through fairs or email could sit together join the lively conversations.

That first evening set the tone for the days ahead. ILAB Congresses have always been about more than a programme of visits. They create time for the international trade to exchange experiences and renew the relationships on which a specialist profession depends.

Tuesday's named "Mosaic Day" revealed Berlin through a series of smaller libraries, museums and archives in the morning and afternoon. Participants were divided into groups and followed different routes, allowing access and personal meetings with curators and librarians.

At the library of the Deutsches Historisches Museum, Dr Matthias Miller guided visitors into the protected holdings of one of Germany's great historical collections. Among the material presented were works associated with Hans Sachs and Martin Luther, rare maps and a first German printing of the American Declaration of Independence dated 4 July 1776. The experience demonstrated how much important material remains beyond the permanent exhibitions of major museums, carefully catalogued and preserved for scholarship.

The archive of the Jewish Museum Berlin offered a different and deeply affecting perspective. Its collections document the richness of Jewish life in Germany and the loss inflicted by persecution and exile. The visit brought together archival material, library collections and Daniel Libeskind's architecture.

At the Library of the Akademie der Künste who amongst its collections holds nearly 500 literary estates, groups enjoyed a highlighly interesting tour by library director Dr. Maximilian Bach

The Lipperheide Costume Library opened its vast visual archive of dress and fashion.

Other groups visited the Walter Benjamin Archive, where manuscripts, notebooks, photographs and the critical edition of Benjamin's writings and estate were presented.

(Images below from the visit of the Library of the Deutsches Historisches Museum and the Akademie der Künste)

At lunchtime, the Congress participants came together for another true highlight of the congress at the Bertelsmann Representation at Unter den Linden 1.
Thanks to sponsorship secured by the Verband Deutscher Antiquare, ILAB had the great honour of being welcomed by Bertelsmann, one of the world’s leading media companies, to its prestigious Berlin premises in the heart of the capital.

Blessed with glorious weather, participants enjoyed a magnificent lunch on the elegant roof terrace, with its exceptional views across Museum Island, the Berlin Palace and the city’s rooftops. It was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the Congress and provided a memorable central gathering point after the morning’s parallel visits.

The international group of booksellers received a warm welcome from Dr Helen Müller, Head of Cultural Affairs and Corporate History at Bertelsmann.

ILAB's heartfelt thanks go to Ms Müller for so generously hosting ILAB and also making Bertelsmann’s impressive lecture theatre available for the ILAB General Assembly.

Held during each Congress, the Assembly gives ILAB an important opportunity to report directly to the booksellers. In Berlin, the newly elected ILAB Committee introduced itself and presented the organisation’s current work, priorities and future strategy. Participants heard about ILAB’s advocacy on behalf of the rare book trade, its growing cooperation with libraries, and its international marketing and public-relations activities.

The Committee also outlined ILAB’s programme of events and symposia, including the forthcoming symposium at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin. Security remained an important part of the presentation, with an update on current concerns affecting the trade and an introduction to the Missing Books Register. Further reports covered ILAB’s education and diversity programme, the ILAB Breslauer Prize for Bibliography, and plans for the 2028 ILAB Congress, an exciting project that deserves an article of its own.

The presentation was extremely well received and gave participants a clearer understanding of how ILAB operates and how its different areas of work support booksellers and national associations around the world. Bertelsmann’s exceptional hospitality, the impressive surroundings and the opportunity to gather the international trade in one place made this a particularly significant moment in the Congress programme.

The day continued mirroring the tours of the morning, followed by one of the most memorable occasions of the Congress: a reception and dinner at the Italian Embassy in Berlin’s Tiergarten diplomatic quarter. The international group received a warm welcome from the Italian Cultural Attaché before gathering in the Embassy’s magnificent halls and gardens for an evening celebrating the longstanding cultural connections between Germany and Italy.

Besides the wonderful dinner banquet, the evening included a highly engaging presentation by Heribert Tenschert on Goethe’s works, reflecting on the profound influence of the country on Goethe’s writing and intellectual development. This was followed by an introduction to Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy, a painting attributed to Caravaggio that had only recently been rediscovered.

An evening celebrating scholarship, art, books and international relations.