We are creating the world's most trusted encyclopedia and knowledge base. Once you join us and log in, you'll be able to edit this page instantly!

From Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium

Libraries Determining a Nation's Value

I'm not sure where to add this information within the context of the existing article:

During several historical periods the value of a country was often determined by the collection it contained in its library. In the case of the 30 years war, when the castle of Heidelberg fell to forces loyal to the Catholic Church, the library was raided and the books it contained sent to Rome as trophies of war. The books written in local dialects were returned as they were considered to be of lesser value than those written in Latin or Greek.

Today the largest library in the world is the U.S. Library of Congress in Washington D.C.. If the historical standard for determining value was applied today this would make the United States the richest country in the world.

The primary source for this text is from personal research from visiting the Heidelberg castle and other castles between May 2000 and June 2005.

Jacob Roecker