A world record for the Wiedmann Bible

It is official! The Wiedmann Bible has set world record.  More than half a year organisers and participants have been waiting for the result to come back. The Guinness World Record Team now confirmed that the Wiedmann Bible, featuring  a surface of ​​645.2 square meters, is now officially the world’s largest concertina book.

“We are very happy about the news. The world record attempt in Magdeburg was a wonderful experience with many unforgettable encounters. We not only want to thank the organisers reformation2017, the Evangelischer Kirchenkreis Magdeburg and the Ottostadt Magdeburg, but also to the hundreds of volunteers,“ said Martin Wiedmann, son of the deceased artist.

On 7 May 2017, the Kirchentag was launched in Magdeburg (Germany) with a world record attempt. Over a distance of 1517 meters, more than 500 volunteers showcased the Wiedmann Bible for the first time in its entire length long the Elbe. Originally the organisers aimed to break the record for the world’s longest Bible. Since this category does not exist, however, the Guinness World Record team offered the record for the largest concertina book.

The Wiedmann Bible is Bible and art at the same time. It depicts the complete Old and New Testament in 3,333 hand-painted images. The artist behind this work is Willy Wiedmann. He worked on it for 16 years. Unfortunately, he could not publish the Bible during his lifetime. The reason: The technology was not yet advanced enough to convert such a mammoth work into a portable form. After Wiedmann’s death, his son Martin discovered the Bible in the attic and decided to face the challenge of fulfilling his father’s dream. He had all the pictures scanned. Meanwhile, a digital bible world has been created with virtual reality, an app and a touchscreen terminal. In February, the Wiedmann Bible will be published as a book for the first time as an exclusive and limited ART-Edition in cooperation with the German Bible Society.