Iron Library

Only a few meters from where bathers and water sport aficionados enjoy the Rhine in fine weather stands Klostergut Paradies, with its unique Iron Library. The core of this special library, set in the idyllic surroundings a former convent, is literature on the history of iron and steel. The industrial corporation Georg Fischer Ltd, or GF, which was established in 1802 and is headquartered in nearby Schaffhausen, created a foundation for the library in 1948.

Ernst Müller, who was a GF manager at the time, initiated the Iron Library. He asked employees at all sites of the international corporation to acquire books for the library. The Iron Library now has holdings of over 40,000 books and some 800 periodicals. GF had purchased the former Paradies convent in 1918. Founded by the Clarissan order in 1253, it was deconsecrated in 1836. The library was opened in the west wing of the former convent in 1952, to mark the 150th anniversary of the GF Corporation.