Reference Library
In the Voliere, the displayed artworks ("Artificialia") are complemented by ornithological lexicons and novels or stories where birds play an important role. Presented on bookends, they fill entire shelves in the Wunderkammer. Visitors are welcome to take them down and read them on-site.
Structurally, the hand library mirrors the historical Wunderkammer’s section on "Scientifica," the area dedicated to scientific instruments. The "Scientifica" range included items like telescopes, sextants, attic models, and lathes—objects once as revered as narwhal tusks or bezoars, which were considered part of the "Mirabilia."
The Voliere hand library is, of course, selective. There exists an almost infinite variety of books about birds, but the ones chosen for this library focus on specific themes. Some are geographically relevant, such as reference books on "birding" and "migration," as the nearby Neusiedler See and the Seewinkel marshes are important stopover points for migratory birds and thus a birdwatcher's paradise. Similarly, there is a musical theme in some books, including those dedicated to the role of birds in Mozart's opera The Magic Flute and Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake.
Alongside contemporary bestsellers like H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald, The Beautiful, Shabby, Wobbling by Brigitte Kronauer, and Famous Birds by Klaus Nüchtern, the library also features children's book classics such as The Wonderful Journey of Nils Holgersson with the Wild Geese by Selma Lagerlöf and the ancient myth of Icarus and Daedalus. A sort of "Exotica" are the editions of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. These are united by one common feature: all have a parrot on the cover. While a tame, talking parrot named Poll briefly appears in the adventure novel from 1719, the prominent depiction on many of the covers reflects the South Seas longing historically associated with these birds.
