The Upper Lusatian Library of Sciences contains about 150,000 volumes, making it the largest library in
Görlitz and the most important regional library between
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...
and
Wrocław
Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...
. Cornered between
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
and
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
and therefore looking back on a rich history its goal is to provide historical research and enhance knowledge transfer in the region.
History
In 1779,
Görlitz had roughly 7,500 inhabitants and was the center of the economical and political independent
Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia (german: Oberlausitz ; hsb, Hornja Łužica ; dsb, Górna Łužyca; szl, Gōrnŏ Łużyca; pl, Łużyce Górne or ''Milsko''; cz, Horní Lužice) is a historical region in Germany and Poland. Along with Lower Lusatia to the ...
at the corner of the
Electorate of Saxony. On 21 April 1779, 20 members of educated and sophisticated classes and nobility came together to found a society called ''Upper Lusatian Society for the Promotion of Historical and Natural History''. Later in 1792 the society was renamed to ''Upper Lusatian Society of Sciences''.
The Upper Lusatian Library of Sciences was founded 1950 by merging the collected volumes of the Upper Lusatian Society of Sciences and the Library of Milich, that came to Görlitz in 1727.
Library of Sciences
Upper Lusatian Society of Sciences was founded 1779 in
Görlitz by the initiative of the lawyer, historian and linguist Karl Gottlob Anton (1751–1818) and the landlord and natural scientist Adolf Traugott von Gersdorff (1744–1807). Both and their members were powered by the ideas of enlightenment which centered the faculty of reason and did research on many scientific disciplines. Thus, the collected volumes were broad, including natural science, grammar and linguistic, encyclopedia and historic literature. Later in the 19th century Upper Lusatian Society shifted the subject of research torwards the regional history of the
Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia (german: Oberlausitz ; hsb, Hornja Łužica ; dsb, Górna Łužyca; szl, Gōrnŏ Łużyca; pl, Łużyce Górne or ''Milsko''; cz, Horní Lužice) is a historical region in Germany and Poland. Along with Lower Lusatia to the ...
.
Adolf Traugott von Gersdorff (1744–1807)
As one of the two founders, Gersdorrf donated his collected scientific volumes and a library with about 10,000 books to the Upper Lusatian Society of Sciences. The literature covers
physical,
meteorological,
mineralogical
Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the p ...
topics. He left a large collection of literature about
lightning protection
A lightning rod or lightning conductor (British English) is a metal rod mounted on a structure and intended to protect the structure from a lightning strike. If lightning hits the structure, it will preferentially strike the rod and be conducte ...
of the 18th century. His travel journals, geographic works and maps show a remarkable intellectual life in the
Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia (german: Oberlausitz ; hsb, Hornja Łužica ; dsb, Górna Łužyca; szl, Gōrnŏ Łużyca; pl, Łużyce Górne or ''Milsko''; cz, Horní Lužice) is a historical region in Germany and Poland. Along with Lower Lusatia to the ...
and a vivid exchange with thinkers in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
.
Karl Gottlob Anton (1751–1818)
The resident of
Görlitz and lawyer Karl Gottlob Anton, ennobled in 1802, wanted to found a 'busy academic society' in 1779. His scientific interest lay in
history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
,
law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
,
linguistics
Linguistics is the science, scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure ...
and
Slavic studies. His research about
Sorbian languages
The Sorbian languages ( hsb, serbska rěč, dsb, serbska rěc) are the Upper Sorbian language and Lower Sorbian language, two closely related and partially mutually intelligible languages spoken by the Sorbs, a West Slavic ethno-cultural min ...
,
Slavs and the early
agricultural history gained lasting recognition. In 1801 he donated his scientific works and roughly 10,000 books to his Upper Lusatian Society. As founder and secretary of the Society he bought the house in Handwerk street on the
Lower Market Square to meet the demand of the growing library.
Library of Milich
The Library of Milich was a private collection by the
Świdnician lawyer Johann Gottlieb Milich (1678-1726). It contained legally and religious items, 7,000 books, 200 handwritten scripts, 500 coins and a handful of curiosities. In 1727 the library was handed to the ''Augustum-Annen-Gymnasium'' in
Görlitz by his will under the condition to keep the library open to the public two days a week for the next 200 years. Over time the library has been merged with donations from inhabitants of
Görlitz and the collection of the local monastery library.
A neo-classicistic scenic library
The library hall was occupied in 1806, when Karl Gottlob Anton donated his own library to the Society. Possibly the first four arches belonged to this donation; in 1841 another arch was added. The large library hall was modeled on the library of the
Francke Foundations
The Francke Foundations (Franckesche Stiftungen), also known as Glauchasche Anstalten were founded in 1695 in Halle, Germany as a Christian, social and educational work by August Hermann Francke
The Francke Foundations are today a non-profit ...
in
Halle (Saale) and noble private libraries in central Germany and
Silesia
Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the population is estimated at around 8,000,000. Silesia is split ...
. The basic idea follows baroque theatre architecture - with triumphal arches of knowledge that divide the hall in different sceneries.
As a research library, it lacks ornamentation. Only the backs of the book decorate the room. The older
stuccoed ceilings were knocked off so that nothing distracted from the power of the word. During the restoration in 1951, the original stucco was painterly suggested again.
Due to its simplicity the historic library hall is a prominent example of the early
Neoclassicism.
Library stock
The Upper Lusatian Library of Sciences contains about 150,000 items and roughly 40% of them have been published before 1900. The library includes several rarities and valuables like
Incunables from the 15th century, a collection of flyers from the
Reformation period, manuscripts and 3,000 historic maps and atlases including sheets of
Gerhard Mercator
Gerardus Mercator (; 5 March 1512 – 2 December 1594) was a 16th-century geographer, cosmographer and cartographer from the County of Flanders. He is most renowned for creating the 1569 world map based on a new projection which represented ...
(1571) and
Abraham Ortelius
Abraham Ortelius (; also Ortels, Orthellius, Wortels; 4 or 14 April 152728 June 1598) was a Brabantian cartographer, geographer, and cosmographer, conventionally recognized as the creator of the first modern atlas, the '' Theatrum Orbis Terra ...
(1621). A handwritten
codex from the 11th century with texts by the Roman historian
Sallust
Gaius Sallustius Crispus, usually anglicised as Sallust (; 86 – ), was a Roman historian and politician from an Italian plebeian family. Probably born at Amiternum in the country of the Sabines, Sallust became during the 50s BC a partisan ...
is the oldest item in the library.
The items with the most important scientific value are grouped in the complex ''Archive''. It contains the collected items of Karl Gottlob Anton, Adolf Traugott von Gersdorff and assets of other scholars and poets of
Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia (german: Oberlausitz ; hsb, Hornja Łužica ; dsb, Górna Łužyca; szl, Gōrnŏ Łużyca; pl, Łużyce Górne or ''Milsko''; cz, Horní Lužice) is a historical region in Germany and Poland. Along with Lower Lusatia to the ...
. The collection ranges from manuscripts of the great Upper Lusatian enlightener
Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus (1651-1708) to records of the Bad Muskau poet and
Pückler
The House of Pückler, with branches named Pückler-Muskau, Pückler-Burghauss (Pückler-Burghauß), Pückler-Limpurg and Pückler-Groditz, was an old and influential German noble family which originated from Silesia. The Imperial County of Pü ...
-confidant
Leopold Schefer
Leopold Schefer (30 July 1784 in Muskau – 13 February 1862 in Muskau), German poet, novelist, and composer, was born in a small town in Upper Lusatia (then under Saxon rule), the only child of a poor country doctor.
Biography
Leopold Schefer wa ...
(1784-1862) to the estate of the Görlitz writer and publicist Ludwig Kunz (1890-1976).
With the mill archive from the estate of the mill researcher Günter Rapp, the library houses an extensive collection of texts and about 16,000 photographs of mills in
Upper Lusatia
Upper Lusatia (german: Oberlausitz ; hsb, Hornja Łužica ; dsb, Górna Łužyca; szl, Gōrnŏ Łużyca; pl, Łużyce Górne or ''Milsko''; cz, Horní Lužice) is a historical region in Germany and Poland. Along with Lower Lusatia to the ...
and the former
GDR.
Jakob Böhme
A high priority is given to the collection on the German philosopher,
Christian mystic
Christian mysticism is the tradition of mystical practices and mystical theology within Christianity which "concerns the preparation f the personfor, the consciousness of, and the effect of ..a direct and transformative presence of God" ...
, and
theologian
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
Jakob Böhme. He is undoubtly the most famous person of
Görlitz with the most profound influence on later philosophical movements in Europe. Today, an important task of the library is the systematic collection of literature of and about
Jakob Böhme. The library provides information on Boehme's life and impact for further research from philosophical, theological and philological aspects. With about 1,500 works and essays, the Upper Lusatian Library owns a large collection of the theosophist from
Görlitz.
Gallery
13-11-02-olb-by-RalfR-04.jpg, Librarian room
OLB-Görlitz-25.JPG, Frontpage of '' Oeconomischen Encyclopädie'' by Johann Georg Krünitz
Johann Georg Krünitz (20 March 1728 – 20 December 1796) was a German encyclopedist who started the 242-volume Oekonomische Encyklopädie and during his lifetime managed to complete its first 72 volumes.
Life
Krünitz was born in Berlin as th ...
OLB-Görlitz-17.JPG, Library of Milich
OLB-Görlitz-12.JPG, A collection of old books
Literature
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References
External links
Website of the Upper Lusatian Library of SciencesWebsite of the Upper Lusatian Society of SciencesRecordin the 'Handbook of historic collections' online
Digital Collectionof the Upper Lusatian Library of Sciences
{{Authority control
Libraries in Germany
Upper Lusatia
Buildings and structures in Görlitz
Tourist attractions in Görlitz