The library of the Bernardine monastery in Lubawa

Abstract

The author reconstructs history of the library of the Bernardine monastery in Lubawa (Franciscans Observants), dispersed in 1821, when the monastery was suppressed. The library consisted of (among others) 2046 printings. The collection (the Gutenberg Bible included) was moved from Lubawa (German: Löbau) to Koenigsberg, Berlin, Chojnice and Pelplin. Manuscripts and printings were dispersed again at the end of the World War II. Nowadays they can be found (among others) in Berlin, Pelplin, and Toruń. The article is based on the author's provenance studies, analysis of bindings and content of 209 books from the Lubawa library, stored in the collections of the Diocesan Seminary Library in Pelplin and the NCU Library in Toruń. Presenting the history of the library of the Bernardine monastery in Lubawa, its establishment, development, and dispersion, the author enhances knowledge on the history of book and libraries in the region of Pomerania. The core text is supplemented with illustrations, and – more importantly – The list of preserved books from the library of the Bernardine monastery in Lubawa. It consists of annotated bibliographical descriptions: bibliographic data, provenances, preservation status, glosses, marginalia, and description of a binding.