Poland's Most Treasured Library Is
in Krakow.
The Jagiellonian Library together with its
42 branch libraries at various university units house some
4.5 million volumes of books and periodicals in addition to
its priceless special collections of manuscripts (about
11,000 items, among them 2,500 medieval), early printed
books (roughly 92,000 items, in that number some 2,400
issued before 1501), maps and atlases (some 8,000 items),
graphic art (approximately 24,000 items), music scores
(22,000 items or so), etc. Since 1940 the bulk of them has
been stored in the purpose-built, pre-war modern 9-storied
edifice at 22 Mickiewicza Avenue in downtown Krakow. Its
new, state-of-the-art wing has doubled the building’s floor
space to some 150,000 sq. meters. Besides its main
3-story-high reading-room that may seat 264 it has ten other
specialized reading-rooms.
Baltazar Behem’s
Codex of 1505, one of the Jagiellonian Library’s many marvels,
duplicates the city of Krakow oldest municipal documents yet the
lively miniature pictures from the daily life of artisans like
the above scene at a painter’s studio make it a matchless
rarity.
Krakow's Indispensable
Mine of Knowledge
The Jagiellonian Library
is one of Poland’s three national libraries meant to collect
and preserve any worthwhile piece of print (and handwriting
if possible). At the same time it is the oldest and biggest
university library in the country. It is also Krakow’s chief
academic library, indispensable to the city’s 150,000-plus
scientists and students. And, lastly, it serves everybody as
a public library.
In 1992 the Jagiellonian
Library launched an integrated service system and the books
acquisition as well as cataloging are automated, together
with an online public catalog.
Library Rich in History
History of the Jagiellonian Library has been intertwined with
the evolution of Krakow’s alma mater established in 1364. The
Krakow university library originated in book collections of
various colleges, notably the ‘Collegium Maius’. And innumerable book
donations from professors, graduates, authors, publishers,
booksellers and bibliophiles enriched it greatly over the
centuries.
Krakow University
Poland’s oldest university with its 6,700 faculty and
over 42,000 students is the country’s second largest institution
of higher education and the best one.
Collegium Maius
15th-century impressive Grand College of the Krakow
university where Copernicus once studied.
Krakow Old Town Historical
District
Poland's prime tourist attraction and a must-see in
Central Europe boasts numerous world-class monuments, charming
vistas, delightful atmosphere, and the best restaurants.
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Krakow, Poland
Study in Krakow
It's a good place to complete or continue your studies.
Krakow's Institutions of Higher
Education
Printing in Krakow
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