Museum
Library of the Wroclaw University
Library of the Wroclaw University is a museum.
About Library of the Wroclaw University
Overview
The Wrocław University Library (Biblioteka Uniwersytecka we Wrocławiu) is a major academic and regional library in Poland, serving as the primary research library for the University of Wrocław. It holds the distinction of possessing Poland's largest collection of prints published before the year 1800. The library's modern history began in 1945 following the re-establishment of the university in post-war Poland, though its roots trace back to the 18th and 19th-century institutions of the Leopold University and the Wrocław City Library. Today, it functions as a central hub for academic research and the preservation of Silesian cultural heritage.
History & Founding
The library's origins are twofold. The modern institution was established in 1945 by a group of scientists led by Professor Stanisław Kulczyński, who reactivated the library after World War II. Its historical foundations lie in the 1811 fusion of the libraries of the Leopold University in Wrocław and the Viadrina University in Frankfurt (Oder), which formed the Königliche u. Universitäts-Bibliothek zu Breslau in 1815. Additionally, it inherited the collections of the former City Library, founded in 1866-1867 from the bequests of Thomas Rediger and the libraries of St. Mary Magdalene and St. Bernard churches. Following World War II, the library absorbed the mostly intact collections of the pre-war City Library and various regional monastic and private libraries from Lower Silesia.
Collection Highlights & Notable Holdings
The library boasts an extensive collection of over 310,000 publications printed before 1800, including 3,270 incunabula. A cornerstone of its holdings is the 'Silesiaca' collection, comprising more than 40,000 volumes of prints from local Silesian publishing houses dating back to 1475. Other significant historical collections include the Rudolphina (the Renaissance library of Duke Jerzy Rudolf of Legnica), the Piast Library from Brzeg, and the Milich Library from Zgorzelec. The Graphic Collection Department holds valuable 17th and 18th-century albums, lithographs by Honoré Daumier and William Hogarth, and historical photographs of the region.
Significance & Legacy
The Wrocław University Library is of paramount significance as the primary repository of Silesian cultural and academic history. It serves as a major regional library specializing in publications about Silesia, preserving a unique record of the region's cultural life through its historical collections. Despite losing approximately 75% of its pre-war holdings during World War II, the library successfully reconstructed its resources by integrating the surviving collections of the City Library and numerous secularized monastic libraries. Its role in preserving the 'Bibliotheca Vetus' and the testamentary gifts of Bishop Carl Francis Neander further cements its status as a guardian of Central European intellectual heritage.
What to see at Library of the Wroclaw University
Start with Rudolf II Habsburg by Rudolf (czynny we Wrocławiu 1933-1947), fot. Jagusch.
