Spiel und Kultur e. V. donates books on game culture and games to the Stadt- und Musikbibliothek
Wiesbaden’s city libraries received new social games and books on game culture on Tuesday, 26 August. They can now be borrowed and played on site at the Stadt- und Musikbibliothek, Hochstättenstraße 6-10. The items were donated by the board game club “Spiel und Kultur” from Wiesbaden.
“We are delighted with the donated games and books worth over €500. Playing board games has been officially recognised as part of Germany’s intangible cultural heritage since March 2025. Through playing together, an inclusive and intergenerational practice emerges that connects people, regardless of social or cultural differences,” says Dr. Wolfgang Runschke, head of the city libraries.
“Playing board games is a living tradition cultivated in various social contexts. With our donation, we want to help keep this tradition alive. Games promote creativity, togetherness and education,” says Tillmann Reiffen, chair of the club “Spiel und Kultur”. The club is committed to preserving the cultural asset of gaming and promotes social participation and intercultural exchange through its activities. At a joint event by the club and the city libraries, you can try out the donated board and card games, as well as many others, for free on Saturday, 29 November, at the Stadt- und Musikbibliothek (Mauritius-Mediathek) from 15:00 to 20:00.
The donated books cover various perspectives and aspects of games and game culture: In “Mein Weg nach Catan”, Klaus Teuber tells the story of how he went from being a dental technician to the inventor of Catan. If you want to design games yourself, you’ll find tips in “Leitfaden für Spieleerfinder und solche, die es werden wollen” by Tom Werneck. Other donated books include titles on the history of playing cards, mathematics in games, diversity in role-playing games and other playful topics.
The donated board and card games are aimed at all generations. Many of them have been awarded or recommended by the “Spiel des Jahres” jury. In the Kinderspiel des Jahres 2024, “Die magischen Schlüssel” by Arno Steinwender and Markus Slawitscheck, children search for the right key to open a treasure chest full of gemstones. In the new edition of “Lotti Karotti”, rabbits have to jump over a bridge and avoid a mole. The family game “Dixit” by Jean-Louis Roubira invites players to tell stories inspired by its illustrations. Experienced players can look forward to the card game “Mindbug”, which was on the 2023 Kennerspiel des Jahres recommendation list. A game by a local author is also now available in the library. “Tower Brixx” was developed by Simon Thomas from Kastel in Wiesbaden. In this game, up to six people build a tower together using building blocks. The players’ hand cards specify who has to meet which conditions to do so. The special thing: each person only knows their own tasks and must not reveal anything about them to the other players.
The game boxes are on display in the youth section. The contents are issued at the service desk upon presentation of a library card. They are only for playing on site. More games that can also be borrowed for use outside the library are available in the district libraries.
More information about the club and its activities is available at www.spielundkultur.de, and press images at spielundkultur.de/pressebilder.
Donated books
- “Das moderne Brettspiel: Die unglaubliche Entwicklung von 1950 bis 2000” by Tom Werneck
- “Die Kunst des Game Designs: Bessere Games konzipieren und entwickeln” by Jesse Schell
- “Glück, Logik und Bluff: Mathematik im Spiel – Methoden, Ergebnisse und Grenzen” by Jörg Bewersdorff
- “Handbuch Brettspiele: Tätigkeiten und Akteure in der Brettspielbranche” by Jürgen Karla and Christoph Post
- “Homo ludens: vom Ursprung der Kultur im Spiel” by Johan Huizinga and Andreas Flitner
- “Leitfaden für Spieleerfinder – und solche, die es werden wollen” by Tom Werneck
- “Mein Weg nach Catan” by Klaus Teuber
- “Roll Inclusive: Diversity und Repräsentation im Rollenspiel” by Askin-Hayat Dogan, Frank Reiss and Judith C. Vogt
- “Schach Zug um Zug: Bauerndiplom, Turmdiplom, Königsdiplom: Offizielles Lehrbuch des Deutschen Schachbundes zur Erringung der Diplome” by Helmut Pfleger, Eugen Kurz, Gerd Treppner and the Deutscher Schachbund
- “Zahl Farbe Trumpf: Die Geschichte der Spielkarten” by Jude Talbot (2019)
Donated games
- “Agent Avenue” by Christian Kudahl and Laura Kudahl for two players aged eight and up, about 15 minutes, recommendation list “Spiel des Jahres 2025”
- “Azul” by Michael Kiesling for two to four players aged eight and up, about 45 minutes, “Spiel des Jahres 2018”
- “Die magischen Schlüssel” by Arno Steinwender and Markus Slawitscheck for two to four players aged six and up, about 15 minutes, “Kinderspiel des Jahres 2024”
- “Dixit” by Jean-Louis Roubira for three to six players aged eight and up, about 30 minutes, “Spiel des Jahres 2010”
- “Dodo Ahoi!” by Frank Bebenroth and Marco Teubner for two to four players aged seven and up, about 25 minutes
- “Dominion” by Donald X. Vaccarino for two to four players aged eight and up, about 30 minutes, “Spiel des Jahres 2009”
- “Just One” by Ludovic Roudy and Bruno Sautter for three to seven players aged eight and up, about 20 minutes, “Spiel des Jahres 2019”
- “Lotti Karotti” by Seven Towns for two to four players aged four and up, about 15 minutes
- “Micro Macro Crime City” by Johannes Sich for one to four players aged ten and up, about 15 to 45 minutes, “Spiel des Jahres 2021”
- “Mindbug – Der erste Kontakt” by Skaff Elias, Richard Garfield, Marvin Hegen and Christian Kudahl for two players aged eight and up, about 20 minutes, recommendation list “Kennerspiel des Jahres 2023”
- “Qwirkle” by Susan McKinley Ross for two to four players aged six and up, about 45 minutes, “Spiel des Jahres 2011”
- “Sky Team” by Luc Rémond for two players aged twelve and up, about 20 minutes, “Spiel des Jahres 2024”
- “Tower Brixx” for one to six players aged ten and up, about 20 minutes
About “Spiel und Kultur”
“Spiel und Kultur” is a board game club from Wiesbaden. It is committed to preserving and promoting the intangible cultural heritage of “playing board games” as well as the cultural asset of gaming. Through its events and activities, the club creates spaces for social participation and intercultural exchange. In addition to two weekly, free games nights in the districts of Mitte and Biebrich, “Spiel und Kultur” also organises large events with over 700 participants. More information about the club and its activities is available at www.spielundkultur.de. Press images can be found at spielundkultur.de/pressebilder.