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Bibliotheca Palatina – digital:
A Virtual Reconstruction of the Former Crown Jewel of Germany's Libraries
One of the consequences of the Thirty Years' War was that the most important collection of books in the 17th century Holy Roman Empire, the Bibliotheca Palatina, was divided between two principal locations: Heidelberg and the Vatican. Since 2001, Heidelberg University Library has been working on several projects that aim to digitize parts of this great collection, the final goal being a complete virtual reconstruction of the 'mother of all libraries'.
Press release from the press conference on 26/10/2012. (In German)
These texts constitute the largest and oldest undivided collection of extant German-language manuscripts.
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Here you will eventually be able to access more than 2,000 Latin manuscripts, as they are added one-by-one to the database. The originals are almost all kept in the Vatican.
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Here you can find the digital facsimiles of 29 Greek manuscripts which are now kept in Heidelberg University Library.
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The origins of the Bibliotheca Palatina date back to the year 1386, and in the 17th century it was the most famous library in the world.
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The exquisite decorations on these manuscripts provide an insight into, and digest of, the thematically diverse art of mediaeval book-making.
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The Codex Manesse is the world's richest anthology of mediaeval German song. Luxurious miniatures of each of the poets lend it a splendour all of their own.
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