After remaining in the shadow for 70 years, a unique manuscript has reached DIGAR

30.01.2012

The manuscript of the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia, one of the most important sources of 13th century Estonia and Latvia, reached the National Library’s digital archive DIGAR.

People who are interested can now read a copy of the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia from 1734 that was considered lost for decades.

 The original of the Chronicle of Henry of Livonia has not been found, but at the National Library of Estonia there is Codex Gymnasialis Revaliensis – a manuscript that arrived at the Tallinn Gymnasium Library in 1734.

The National Library digitised the whole 400-page manuscript. The digital copy may at the first glance leave an impression of a hardly readable document, as it has suffered water damage. However, if a page is downloaded and processed as an image, it will become much more legible.

The manuscript is kept in the Rare Books Collection’s room where a stable climate for its preservation is ensured.

The manuscript is digitised within the EOD project.

The aim of the digital archive DIGAR is to collect, preserve and make the digital copies of printed publications available to a wider audience.

Info:

Ilmar Kopso, Collection Development Department, National Library, Ilmar dot Kopso at nlib dot ee tel. 630 7265

Annika Koppel, Public Relations Department, annika dot koppel at nlib dot ee, tel 630 7260.