Jagiellonian Library
Encyclopedia
Jagiellonian Library is the library
of the Jagiellonian University
in Kraków
and with almost 6.7 million volumes, one of the biggest libraries in Poland
, serving as a public library
, university library
and part of the Polish national library
system. It has a large collection of medieval manuscripts, for example Copernicus' De Revolutionibus
or Jan Długosz's Banderia Prutenorum
, and a large collection of underground
literature (so-called drugi obieg or samizdat
) from the period of communist rule in Poland (1945-1989).
More controversially, the Jagiellonian houses the Berlinka
art collection.
Jagiellonian Library is one of the largest and most famous libraries in Poland; over its history it has received many donations and inherited many private collections.
Its collection contains 1,503,178 volumes of monograph
s, 557,199 volumes of periodicals, 104,012 early printed books, 3,586 incunabula, 24,258 manuscript
s, 12,819 map
s, 35,105 music scores, and 77,336 microform
s. Among its music scores are many of Mozart's original autographs.
Notable rare books owned by the library include:
In the 1990s several priceless books were stolen from the library, presumably in order to be sold in the West
. In 1999 works of Galileo, Johannes Kepler
and Basilius Bessarion were stolen; some were recovered from an auction in the German auction house Reiss&Sohn.
, where works related to theology
and liberal arts
were kept). After 1775, during the reforms of Komisja Edukacji Narodowej
, which established the first Ministry
of Education
in the world, various small libraries of the University were formally centralized into one public collection in Collegium Maius. During the partitions of Poland
, the library continued to grow thanks to the support of such people as Jerzy Samuel Bandtkie, Karol Józef Teofil Estreicher and Karol Estreicher. Its collections were made public in 1812. Since 1932, it has had the right to receive a copy of any book issued by Polish publishers within in Poland. In 1940, the library finally obtained a new building of its own. During the Second World War, library workers cooperated with underground universities
. Since the 1990s, the library's collection is increasingly digital
.
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
of the Jagiellonian University
Jagiellonian University
The Jagiellonian University was established in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kazimierz . It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world....
in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
and with almost 6.7 million volumes, one of the biggest libraries in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, serving as a public library
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
, university library
University Library
University Library refers to academic libraries at universities, such as:*Basel University Library*Cambridge University Library*Cornell University Library*De La Salle University Library*Durham University Library*University of the East Library...
and part of the Polish national library
National library
A national library is a library specifically established by the government of a country to serve as the preeminent repository of information for that country. Unlike public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books...
system. It has a large collection of medieval manuscripts, for example Copernicus' De Revolutionibus
De revolutionibus orbium coelestium
De revolutionibus orbium coelestium is the seminal work on the heliocentric theory of the Renaissance astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus...
or Jan Długosz's Banderia Prutenorum
Banderia Prutenorum
The Banderia Prutenorum is a manuscript of 48 parchment sheets, 18.6 by 29.3 cm , composed by Jan Długosz and illuminated by Stanisław Durink, listing 56 vexillae, or banners, of the Order of the Teutonic Knights. The title means Blazons of the Prussians...
, and a large collection of underground
Counterculture
Counterculture is a sociological term used to describe the values and norms of behavior of a cultural group, or subculture, that run counter to those of the social mainstream of the day, the cultural equivalent of political opposition. Counterculture can also be described as a group whose behavior...
literature (so-called drugi obieg or samizdat
Samizdat
Samizdat was a key form of dissident activity across the Soviet bloc in which individuals reproduced censored publications by hand and passed the documents from reader to reader...
) from the period of communist rule in Poland (1945-1989).
More controversially, the Jagiellonian houses the Berlinka
Berlinka (art collection)
The Berlinka is the Polish name for a German collection of historic material which was originally kept at the Preußische Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, the Prussian State Library at Berlin, but which is now kept in the Jagiellonian Library in Kraków....
art collection.
Organization
The Deputy Directors of Administration and Construction, 19th and 20th Century Materials, and Special Collections oversee a staff of 283 employees in fourteen different library departments.Collections
Its collection contains 1,503,178 volumes of monograph
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
s, 557,199 volumes of periodicals, 104,012 early printed books, 3,586 incunabula, 24,258 manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
s, 12,819 map
Map
A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, regions, and themes....
s, 35,105 music scores, and 77,336 microform
Microform
Microforms are any forms, either films or paper, containing microreproductions of documents for transmission, storage, reading, and printing. Microform images are commonly reduced to about one twenty-fifth of the original document size...
s. Among its music scores are many of Mozart's original autographs.
Notable rare books owned by the library include:
- 15th century copy of BogurodzicaBogurodzicaBogurodzica is the oldest Polish religious hymn. It was composed somewhere between the 10th and 13th centuries. The origin of the song is not clear....
- Jan Długosz – Banderia PrutenorumBanderia PrutenorumThe Banderia Prutenorum is a manuscript of 48 parchment sheets, 18.6 by 29.3 cm , composed by Jan Długosz and illuminated by Stanisław Durink, listing 56 vexillae, or banners, of the Order of the Teutonic Knights. The title means Blazons of the Prussians...
- Balthasar Behem CodexBalthasar Behem CodexThe Balthasar Behem Codex is a collection of the privileges and statutes of the city of Kraków. Compiled in 1505, the codex was named for the chancellor at the time, Balthasar Behem. The book's text is in Latin...
- Paulus Paulirini de Praga – Liber viginti artium
- Nicolaus CopernicusNicolaus CopernicusNicolaus Copernicus was a Renaissance astronomer and the first person to formulate a comprehensive heliocentric cosmology which displaced the Earth from the center of the universe....
– manuscript of De revolutionibus, and printed editions - Rembrandt van Rijn – FaustFaustFaust is the protagonist of a classic German legend; a highly successful scholar, but also dissatisfied with his life, and so makes a deal with the devil, exchanging his soul for unlimited knowledge and worldly pleasures. Faust's tale is the basis for many literary, artistic, cinematic, and musical...
- Frédéric ChopinFrédéric ChopinFrédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
– ScherzoScherzoA scherzo is a piece of music, often a movement from a larger piece such as a symphony or a sonata. The scherzo's precise definition has varied over the years, but it often refers to a movement which replaces the minuet as the third movement in a four-movement work, such as a symphony, sonata, or...
(E-dur) - Stanisław MoniuszkoStanisław MoniuszkoStanisław Moniuszko was a Polish composer, conductor and teacher. His output includes many songs and operas, and his musical style is filled with patriotic folk themes of the peoples of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth...
– Trzeci śpiewnik domowy. Muzyka wokalna z towarzyszeniem fortepianu - Stanisław Wyspiański – Wesele. Dramat w 3 aktach
- Ignacy Jan PaderewskiIgnacy Jan PaderewskiIgnacy Jan Paderewski GBE was a Polish pianist, composer, diplomat, politician, and the second Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland.-Biography:...
– Stara Suita
In the 1990s several priceless books were stolen from the library, presumably in order to be sold in the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
. In 1999 works of Galileo, Johannes Kepler
Johannes Kepler
Johannes Kepler was a German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer. A key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution, he is best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion, codified by later astronomers, based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of Copernican...
and Basilius Bessarion were stolen; some were recovered from an auction in the German auction house Reiss&Sohn.
History
The beginning of the Jagiellonian Library is traditionally considered the same as that of the entire university (then known as Cracow Academy) - in the year 1364; however instead of having one central library it had several smaller branches at buildings of various departments (the largest collection was in Collegium MaiusCollegium Maius
The Collegium Maius , in Kraków, Poland, is the Jagiellonian University's oldest building, dating back to the 15th century. It stands at the corner of ulica Jagiellońska and ulica Świętej Anny The Collegium Maius (Latin for "Great College"), in Kraków, Poland, is the Jagiellonian University's...
, where works related to theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
were kept). After 1775, during the reforms of Komisja Edukacji Narodowej
Komisja Edukacji Narodowej
The Commission of National Education was the central educational authority in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, created by the Sejm and king Stanisław August Poniatowski on October 14, 1773...
, which established the first Ministry
Ministry (government department)
A ministry is a specialised organisation responsible for a sector of government public administration, sometimes led by a minister or a senior public servant, that can have responsibility for one or more departments, agencies, bureaus, commissions or other smaller executive, advisory, managerial or...
of Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
in the world, various small libraries of the University were formally centralized into one public collection in Collegium Maius. During the partitions of Poland
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
, the library continued to grow thanks to the support of such people as Jerzy Samuel Bandtkie, Karol Józef Teofil Estreicher and Karol Estreicher. Its collections were made public in 1812. Since 1932, it has had the right to receive a copy of any book issued by Polish publishers within in Poland. In 1940, the library finally obtained a new building of its own. During the Second World War, library workers cooperated with underground universities
Education in Poland during World War II
This article covers the topic of underground education in Poland during World War II. Secret learning prepared new cadres for the post-war reconstruction of Poland and countered the German and Soviet threat to exterminate the Polish culture....
. Since the 1990s, the library's collection is increasingly digital
Digital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
.