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Low German Book Fair in Hamburg: Save our language!
The Low German Book Fair in Hamburg on November 9, 2025 promotes the preservation of the threatened Low German language and culture.
Low German Book Fair in Hamburg: Save our language!
It's that time again in Hamburg: the Low German Book Fair opens its doors and heralds a new round for the Low German language. In keeping with tradition, we not only present what is new on the market, but also send a signal that the Low German language must be preserved as a cultural asset. After the Frankfurt Book Fair in October, this is a frank symbol for the preservation of Low German, which, like North Frisian and Lower Sorbian, is threatened with extinction Tagesspiegel.
According to Deutschlandfunk Kultur, new publications in Low German will be presented at the fair: from crime novels to textbooks to children's books, there is something for everyone. But alarm bells are ringing because fewer and fewer people speak this beautiful language. In recent years in particular, Low German has experienced a dramatic decline in usage, and exhibitions such as the Book Fair are valuable steps in raising awareness of this.
Active in preserving the language
In 2023, a PEN center was founded that is expressly dedicated to Low German and Frisian literature. Writers and songwriters have come together to promote linguistic diversity and bring Low German to the stage. This is an important step at a time when a language is dying out almost every month, putting cultural diversity at enormous risk, as documented in the “Atlas of Languages at Risk of Extinction”.
There are efforts not only in the literary area: in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the student word of the year was recently chosen as Platt. “Dösbaddel” describes a klutz or a dreamy person and shows that the younger generations are also familiar with Low German. Such initiatives are crucial to stimulate interest in the language and pass it on from generation to generation.
There are many challenges, but numerous rescue and resuscitation attempts are also presented. The loss of a language means not only the loss of words, but also of ideas and cultures, as authors Arnfrid Schenk and Stefan Schnell argue. The Atlas provides valuable insight into this process and reminds us of the importance of preserving our linguistic and cultural diversity.
The Low German Book Fair clearly shows that action is necessary and how much passion goes into people's efforts to preserve this linguistic heritage. If we don't work together, a piece of our culture could soon disappear.