Ten years after Andreas Züst’s death, his library found its new home. In 2003, as the approximately 12,000 books remaining in his Haus Spiegelberg threatened to become homeless, ungovernable stacks, Plinio Bachmann invented a system of cataloguing that would make the private library’s organization comprehensible to outsiders. During this process of inventory, it was suggested that the collection of curiosities be made accessible to the general public. Preliminary conversations with various institutions soon demonstrated, however, that the absorption of Züst’s library into an already established collection would not do it justice. By the end of 2007, it became clear that Alpenhof, the cultural platform in Oberegg run by Züst’s former companions; his daughter, Mara; and others from the cultural sector would be, once made accessible to the public, an ideal home for the library.

Anticipating this upcoming move, the idea arose to arrange a sort of traveling tour, and for the library to make stops along the way to its new home, with temporary exhibitions in those cantons lying between the Zürich region and the library’s remote final destination. Thus the project “Von Andreas bis Züst. Eine Bibliothek geht auf Wanderschaft” (From Andreas to Züst. A Library’s Journey) emerged, including stops at Corner College/Perla-Mode in Zürich; Sitterwerk in St.Gallen; and the Kantonsbibliothek Appenzell Ausserrhoden in Togen. Artists including Thomas Galler, Ingo Giezendanner aka GRRRR, Laurent Goei, Lutz/Guggisberg, and Bessie Nager all contributed to the project’s realization.

A practical system for shelving the books was soon developed and, in the summer of 2010, the move into Alpenhof finally occurred with the energetic assistance of various supporters. The library has been open to the public since late August 2010.

Die Melancholie der Bücher von Patrick Frey
Von Andreas bis Züst von Plinio Bachmann

Von Andreas bis Züst – Wanderbibliothek Art-TV, 2010
Die Bibliothek des Wolkenschiebers NZZ, 20.8.2010
Suchen geht nicht. Aber man findet St.Galler Tagblatt, 18.6.2010
Von Andreas bis Züst Appenzeller Zeitung, 22.3.2010
Bücher zu Bücher St.Galler Tagblatt, 2.12.2009
Bücherwelten Tages Anzeiger, 5.11.2009