Projects
The manuscripts of the former Würzburg Cathedral library – or the “libri Sancti Kyliani” as the ownership entry on the flyleaf reads – rank among the most prestigious collections of Würzburg University Library today. Once the carefully guarded private propriety of the Franconian apostle St. Kilian, these codices which bear testimony to Würzburg’s cultural history since the foundation of its bishopric in 742 are now to become accessible for everyone: A project promoted by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the Bayerische Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst is about to digitise the complete collection of the Cathedral Library manuscripts preserved in Würzburg and to make them accessible via an innovative web portal.
Georg Spalatin (1484-1545) particularly reknown as adviser and intimate of Martin Luther was actually a member of the court of Friedrich III of Sachsen, called Friedrich der Weise. In 1510 he began to write a chronicle about the history of Saxonians, Thuringians and the citizens of Meißen, from their beginnings up to the present time. Spalatin never managed to finish his work – the 4 existing pieces nevertheless are more than impressive: 3 big manuscripts, illuminated by the famous workshop of Cranach are today located in the Landesbibliothek Coburg, a fourth part is among the holdings of the Thüringische Hauptstaatsarchiv in Weimar. For the very first time the 4 parts are virtually united on Spalatin Online.
