16.11.2023Showcase exhibition on the Bibliotheca Palatina
Mother of all libraries
Die Bibliotheca Palatina war aufgrund der Fülle ihrer Bestände und der Exzeptionalität ihrer Spitzenstücke in ihrer Blütezeit zu Beginn des 17. Jahrhunderts die bedeutendste Bibliothek nördlich der Alpen. Zur Mitte des 16. Jahrhunderts hatte Kurfürst Ottheinrich von der Pfalz die Sammlungen der Stiftsbibliothek der Heiliggeistkirche, der Schlossbibliothek sowie der Universität zu einer Bibliothek zusammengeführt und auf den Emporen der Heiliggeistkirche zugänglich gemacht. Die gesamte Bibliothek umfasste rund 3.700 Hand- und 13.000 Druckschriften aller zu dieser Zeit bedeutenden Fachgebiete und Sprachen.
After being taken away to Rome during the Thirty Years' War, numerous attempts to recover parts of the collection were unsuccessful. It was not until 1816, in the course of peace negotiations after the Napoleonic Wars, that the German-language manuscripts were returned to Heidelberg. The Codex Manesse, the great Heidelberg song manuscript, has also been back in the possession of the University Library since 1888.
The showcase exhibition "Bibliotheca Palatina - Mother of all libraries" provides an overview of the collection by focussing on individual areas. The focus is on the variety of languages (display case 1), the types of writing (display case 2), special forms of appearance (display case 3) and the scholarly description of the manuscripts over the course of time (display case 4).
You will find the showcases on the ground floor of the main library in the old town towards the lending desk (showcases 1 and 2) and towards the manuscript reading room (showcases 3 and 4). In addition to the thematic focal points, selected top items such as the Sachsenspiegel, the Song of Roland or the Joshua Scroll are presented as facsimiles.
The exhibition can be viewed during the regular opening hours of the University Library.