en
English
Deutsch
Italiano
en
English
Deutsch
Italiano
The Libreria Della Rondine was founded in 1951 by Leo Kok as an antiquarian bookshop and ran until the 1980s. Today the bookstore offers special new releases for enthusiasts, second-hand bookshops and design items. Founded by Leo Kok: Leo Kok was born in Amsterdam in 1893 and grew up in The Hague, where he studied music at the Royal Conservatory. He was considered an excellent pianist. His pacifist stance earned him three years internment at Den Helder fortress during the First World War. After his release, he continued his life between a thirst for adventure and culture: He was hired as a pianist on board a transatlantic steamer on the route from Rotterdam to Rio de Janeiro. In the 1920s he accompanied the Ascona-based expressive dancer Charlotte Bara on the piano and harmonium and other exotic instruments. During the Second World War, Leo Kok's pacifist stance changed - he offered active resistance. In 1943 he was arrested in Paris by the Gestapo, who found documents from the Resistance in his piano, and deported to Buchenwald. His hands were broken under torture, which ended another career as a pianist after his liberation. However, he composed and built a new life for himself as an antiquarian in Switzerland with the books he still had in Paris. In 1951 he opened the 'Libreria della Rondine' in the 'Casa Serodine' in Ascona. Book lovers, artists and intellectuals crossed their paths in the Libreria della Rondine. Hermann Hesse, Erich Fromm and Aline Valangin were among their visitors. Erich Maria Remarque entrusted Leo Kok with his memories from the time in the Buchenwald camp, which flowed into Remarque's novel Der Funke Leben.
Categories
Local time: 19:55
Opening Hours
Piazza San Pietro 6, 6612 Ascona
German, Italian, French, Romansh
Shops nearby
You need to login, to leave a review
All reviews