Infinite Worlds In a Single Collection – The Chateau Library Lipník nad Bečvou

The exhibition Infinite Worlds In a Single Collection – The Chateau Library Lipník nad Bečvou in the Historical Building of the National Museum presents rare examples of old prints from the book collection of the Dietrichstein Castle Library, totaling more than 21,000 volumes, which stand out for their uniqueness, high-quality craftsmanship and beautiful illustrations.

The exhibition offers titles from many fields, especially natural sciences, arts, technology, but also interesting examples of unusual, often very curious, sciences. You can also see an absolutely extraordinary work of art made by Maria Christina, Princess of Dietrichstein, and compare it with original works by two master painters of the time. The exhibition also presents a collection of rocks, probably collected by the knight Ignác Born, who was primarily responsible for the development of science and education in the Czech lands, and whose books became part of the Lipník library. The book exhibits are complemented by music composed by the French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau, whose lesser-known writings on music can also be viewed. The exhibition outlines the esprit de corps of the time, the social tendencies of its protagonists, draws attention to lesser-known personalities and the realities of almost three centuries in which this extraordinary princely library was formed.

The book collection of the chateau library Lipník nad Bečvou, like almost 350 other castle libraries containing approximately 1,600,000 volumes, is managed by the National Museum. The Castle Libraries Department was established in 1954 with the task of collecting information about castle libraries in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia and ensuring their processing and scientific use. The National Museum regularly makes these collections available in the form of exhibitions, catalogues and scientific inventories.