Imagine this: thousands of books, centuries old, housed in the medieval Pannonhalma Abbey in Hungary, are on the brink of disaster! No, it’s not war or fire, but tiny yet deadly bread beetles that have infested the collection, threatening to destroy priceless cultural heritage. These little bugs usually feast on dry food products but have now turned their attention to books, attracted by the starch- and gelatin-based glues used in bookbinding. Conservators are in a frenzy, urgently removing tens of thousands of hand-bound books from the library shelves, carefully packing them into crates, and sealing them in airtight plastic bags from which oxygen is removed. The books will spend six weeks in a pure nitrogen environment to exterminate these pests. But that’s not the end of the story! Climate change, with rising average temperatures in Hungary, allows these insects to have multiple life cycles per year, meaning the problem is only getting worse. The Pannonhalma Abbey, founded over a thousand years ago, holds the oldest collection of books in the country, including 19 codices, a complete 13th-century Bible, and hundreds of manuscripts created before the invention of printing. This religious and cultural institution has survived centuries of wars and occupations, and now it’s on the verge of being destroyed by tiny bugs! Will global warming be the culprit behind the destruction of our cultural heritage? Conservators and experts are fighting back, but the question is how long they can hold out. If you care about history and culture, maybe it’s time to ask yourself — who will be the next to save our treasure? And you, got any tips on fighting these tiny but dangerous enemies? Share your thoughts, maybe your idea will save centuries of wisdom and knowledge!
