📅 Wednesday, 22 April
🕰 10:00–12:00 | 14:00–17:00
🏛 Ground Floor & Special Collection
📜 Step inside. Explore. Travel through time.
Panitza Library invites you to celebrate World Book and Copyright Day with a special Open Day dedicated to its unique Special Collection.
For one day only, visitors will have the opportunity to explore rare and valuable monographs published between 1790 and 1920. The collection, established in 2019, contains approximately 1,600 volumes and reflects centuries of intellectual and cultural history.
At the heart of the exhibition is a facsimile of the Gutenberg Bible, an exact reproduction of one of the most important books ever printed. This limited edition, gifted to the library in 2009, represents a turning point in the history of knowledge and communication.
The exhibition also features:
- The richly illustrated Four Gospels of Tsar Ivan Alexander, a masterpiece of medieval Bulgarian culture included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register
- Manasses’ Chronicle, a Byzantine historical text written in rhymes
- The first edition of Reader’s Digest (1920)
- A replica of the Cyrus Cylinder, often described as one of the earliest expressions of human rights
- National Geographic magazine from 1904, and many more.
The Special Collection is designated as a heritage collection and includes rare, limited, and first-edition books, as well as unique volumes with artistic and historical value. These materials are preserved to support research, provide access to rare content, and safeguard cultural heritage for future generations.
📍 The Special Collection is housed in a dedicated space (Basement, Room 012) and is accessible daily onsite with librarian assistance.
Join us for this unique opportunity to engage with history, scholarship, and the evolution of the written word.
