Precious, most precious. Works from the Princes Czartoryski Library

The impressive collection of the Princes Czartoryski Library is part of Polish national and European heritage. Started by Adam Kazimierz and Izabela Czartoryski in the 18th century and expanded by subsequent generations, it includes manuscripts and printed works from the Middle Ages to the present day, including the greatest treasures of literature, science and culture.

The works shown at the exhibition, both manuscripts and printed works from the 15th to the 19th century, constitute only a small but very valuable part of the collections assembled over the centuries. These are works on the history of Poland and Europe, monuments of Polish writing and literature, works on astronomy and mathematics, cartography, music, prayer books, including books of royal provenance.
The exhibition is an opportunity to see, among other things, the autograph of Jan Długosz’s Annals, the most valuable historical work of the Polish Middle Ages, which describes the history of Poland from the earliest times to 1406. Among the 15th-century prints is the most famous medieval book, Hartmann Schedel’s richly illustrated Liber chronicarum (1493). The most numerous are 16th-century Polish works, including the first edition of Nicolaus Copernicus’ epoch-making work De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (1543), containing his treatise on heliocentric theory. Another first edition is Mikołaj Rej's Zwierzyniec (1562), which contains one of the most famous quotations in Polish literature: “And let the neighbouring nations know that Poles are not geese, that they have their own language.” An interesting item is a copy of Marcin Bielski's Kronika polska (1597), bound in the 19th century according to Izabela Czartoryska’s design, with hidden symbolism. A unique work is Fryderyk Chopin’s autograph of Krakowiak (1829), dedicated to Princess Anna Czartoryska, née Sapieha. The cartographic collection includes maps with views of Krakow from 1618. The exhibition is adorned with exquisitely bound books that once belonged to crowned heads: Sigismund II Augustus, Henry III of France, Stanisław Leszczyński, Stanisław August Poniatowski, Marie Antoinette, and Princess Czartoryska – Maria Amparo Muñoz.
The works on display testify to the rich diversity and standing of the Princes Czartoryski Library collection.
Exhibition curator: Jadwiga Klima