brugge.be/bibliotheek PUBLIC LIBRARY The library. A place of conservation. Valuable heritage collections in the spotlights
The Bruges Public Library holds one of Flanders foremost heritage collections and was awarded with the quality label acknowledged heritage library in 2011. The historical core of the collection comprises, among others, the libraries of the former Cistercian abbeys of Ten Duinen ( Koksijde,1128) and Ter Doest ( Lissewege,1175). Having been confiscated during the French Revolution, these extensive collections were put under the care of the city of Bruges in 1804, under the reign of Napoleon. Today, the main library Biekorf is home to, among others, valuable medieval manuscripts, incunables (books printed before 1501) and old printed books, an impressive collection of historical newspapers, various private collections previously owned by inhabitants of Bruges and the Guido Gezelle archives. A number of books and collections have been officially recognized as Flemish masterpieces. The library puts a lot of effort into making its collection digitally available, often in collaboration with other heritage organizations based in Bruges. Local schools discover our heritage collections through various educational projects. By organizing exhibitions, lectures and by entering into collaborations with other heritage organizations, Bruges wants to make its collections known to a wider public.
Collections Manuscripts The main library Biekorf preserves almost 750 manuscripts. The main part of the collection consists of the monastic collections of the Cistercian abbeys of Ten Duinen and Ter Doest, which contain 481 manuscripts. This collection has been recognized as a masterpiece by the Flemish government. Books of hours and prayer books are tangible witnesses of the production of books in Bruges and other cities in the late Middle Ages. Finally, a series of manuscripts (chronicles, epitaphs and genealogies) dated between the 17th and the 19th centuries, documents Bruges rich history. A description of each manuscript can be found in the online catalogue brugge.be/bibliotheek/erfgoed (Dutch-language). The collection is systematically being made available online and part of it has already been digitalized. The original manuscripts can be viewed by appointment only in the reading room at the main library (Biekorf). Ms. 140, Gregorius Magnus, Moralia in Job, ca. 1200
Early printed books The collection of early printed books from incunables (books printed before 1501) to books from 1830 - is a priceless intellectual and artistic treasure. It illustrates all key moments in the history of the book industry in Bruges. The core of the collection is formed by the incunables by Colard Mansion (1476-1484). Eduard de Dene and Marcus Gheeraerts, De warachtige fabulen der dieren (Bruges, 1567) This collection contains both learned studies and popular prints, such as almanacs and pamphlets. The printed books bear witness to the craftsmanship in the field of typography, iconography and bookbinding. The collection is constantly expanded, primarily with books printed in Bruges and works by Bruges-based authors. You can consult the collection of early printed books in the reading room of the Biekorf main library. Incunables can be viewed by appointment only. A description of each book (Dutch-language) can be found in the online catalogue.
Guido Gezelle archives The main library of the Bruges Public Library owes its name to the folklore and philology magazine Biekorf, founded by Guido Gezelle (1830-1899). Possibly the most important poet of Flanders, Gezelle worked as a priest and a teacher but also as a journalist, linguist and translator. His tremendous influence on Flemish culture is comparable to Burns, Yeats or Longfellow on theirs. During the Flemish revival of the second half of the nineteenth century he raised the catholic folk culture to an unparalleled aesthetic level. The Bruges Public Library keeps the poet s literary archives. When he died, Gezelle left behind and impressive collection of documents: handwritten poetry, letters, philological notes etc. The more than 2000 poems in manuscript and the beautiful collection of photos concerning Gezelle have all been digitalized and can be viewed online. Gezelle s comprehensive letter collection constitutes an important part of the Gezelle archives. It contains approximately 7600 letters dating from between 1854 and 1899, 500 of which were written by Gezelle. The other letters were sent by family, friends, acquaintances, missionaries and other correspondents from nearby and faraway regions. They contain a wealth of information about the 19th century. The letters by Guido Gezelle have all been digitalized and are available online. It is also our aim to present the rest of the the letters online. Moreover, volunteers from the Guido Gezelle society in collaboration with the Antwerp University and KANTL (the Royal Academy of Dutch language and literature) are currently text editing the correspondence. A number of texts are available online and searchable. The Gezelle archives also contain approximately 1 000 books from Gezelle s private library. This is, however, only a fraction of his complete library. Gezelle owned books on language, on Germanic and foreign folklore, and also a lot
of religious and didactic works. Most works in his collection date from the 19th century, but he had a number of older works as well. Gezelle was not a bibliophile, but considered books to be tools. Many older books bear traces of use. The Gezelle archives also contain all publications by and on Gezelle. The Gezelledatabase is not limited to the own collection. The project Gezelle Extra Muros gives an overview of collections owned by other organizations and private persons and also makes them available online. This project underlines the value and importance of these collections and makes them easily accessible for study. Manuscript by Guido Gezelle of the poem Oudheid from the volume Rijmsnoer (nr. 698) You can consult the Gezelle collections at www.gezelle.be or www.brugge.be/bibliotheek/erfgoed or by appointment in the reading room at the main library (Biekorf).
Historical newspapers The Bruges Public Library holds a comprehensive collection of historical newspapers. The oldest newspaper in this collection is the Nieuwe Tydinghen. It was printed from 1637 to 1645 in Bruges by Nicolas Breyghel. It mainly contained foreign news reports about trade, economy and wars. Other newspapers in the collection are the Vaderlandsch Nieuwsblad (1792-1793), the Brugsche Gazette (1795-1796) and the Gazette van Brugge (1797-1919). The press was very diverse in Bruges in the 19th and in the first half of the 20th century. The collection at the Public Library contains 64 titles (and numerous loose copies from various funds) and counts more than half a million pages. The complete collection of historical newspapers is systematically being digitalized. More than half of it is already available on www.erfgoedbrugge.be or historischekrantenbrugge.be. Optical Charachter Recognition (OCR) allows you to search by keyword. It is also possible to browse the database.
Brugensia Brugensia is one of the most important collections of the Public Library, containing an extremely varied range of publications about Bruges, printed in Bruges, made by inhabitants of Bruges, etc., made after 1830. The regular additions to the collection not only include new publications, but also older, missing items. Today, the collection consists of 12 000 books, 600 brochures and approximately 100 magazines. The descriptions (Dutch-language) can be found in the online catalogue (brugge.be/bibliotheek/erfgoed). You can consult these items in the reading room at the Biekorf main library.
Private libraries in Bruges Various private libraries, previously owned by famous inhabitants of Bruges, were transferred to the Bruges Public Library in the 20th century. The collection contains among other things the libraries of Bruges-born politician and minister of state Achiel van Acker, folklore specialist Hervé Stalpaert, pioneer of Esperanto Antoon Witteryck, canon Joseph Dochy, historian Michiel English, baroness Suzanne de Giey, a magnificent collection of porcelain cards, etc. Definitely worth checking out if you are looking for literary works from the interbellum period, prints about Bruges, heraldic works, books about folklore or a folk tale archive. The descriptions (Dutch-language) can be found in the online catalogue. You can consult these collections in the reading room at the Biekorf main library.
Beehive Sessions: masterpieces on YouTube In a short video, an expert gives information about a specific heritage item. Centuries-old manuscripts, incunables by Colard Mansion, hand-written documents by Guido Gezelle etc. You can find the videos (in Dutch, English and French) on www.youtube.com/bibbrugge (playlist Biekorfsessies ).
Working together on heritage issues The Bruges Public Library has taken a broad approach to the way in which it acquires, manages and studies its heritage collections. Its main partners are the Flanders Heritage Library and the Bruges Heritage Cell. Flanders Heritage Library The non-profit organization Flanders Heritage Library (Vlaamse Erfgoedbibliotheek or VEB) is a network of heritage libraries, established late 2008 by six partner libraries: Heritage Library Hendrik Conscience in Antwerp, Antwerp University Library, Bruges Public Library, Ghent University Library, Hasselt Limburg Library and Louvain University Library. VEB is aimed at everyone who is interested in written, printed and digital library heritage collections. Through various projects and research programmes, VEB wants to gain and share expertise. It also aims at raising public awareness about the richness of the library heritage in Flanders and Brussels. The Bruges Public Library collections are well represented in the virtual Flemish heritage library www.flandrica.be, in the Belgian newspaper catalogue Abraham (1830-1950), and in www.stcv.be, the bibliography of the hand-printed book in Flanders. Bruges Heritage Cell The Bruges Heritage Cell is charged with developing a durable heritage policy for Bruges. In doing so, it works together with various heritage institutions and associations. The Bruges Public Library is one of the partners. In collaboration with the Bruges Heritage Cell and with other Bruges-based heritage partners, a communal platform for 16 heritage collections in Bruges was launched late 2016. Today, the website www.erfgoedbrugge.be already allows users to search in multiple collections simultaneously. It is constantly being developed.
The library. A place of conservation.
Contact and appointments For more information or to arrange an appointment, please contact the reading room of the Biekorf main library by telephone at +32 50 47 24 29 or by email to LeeszaalBibliotheek@brugge.be. Contact Guido Gezelle archives: Els Depuydt +32 50 47 24 28 els.depuydt@brugge.be Contact manuscripts and early printed books: Ludo Vandamme +32 50 47 24 12 ludo.vandamme@brugge.be Bruges Public Library Kuipersstraat 3 8000 Brugge t +32 50 47 24 00 f +32 50 34 27 05 bibliotheek@brugge.be www.brugge.be/bibliotheek/erfgoed www.erfgoedbrugge.be www.flandrica.be openbarebibliotheekbrugge @bibbrugge @bibbrugge bibbrugge v.u. J. Coens, stadssecretaris, Burg 12, 8000 Brugge november 2017 Ontwerp: Cel creatie - Stad Brugge