Holdings
The Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Sachsen-Anhalt (ULB) owns an extensive collection of manuscripts and
autographs, including more than 320 medieval manuscripts, 550 music manuscripts and several Oriental manuscripts.
The majority of the manuscript collection consists of modern manuscripts of various provenance. Since 1925, the
ULB has also managed the
Bibliothek der Deutschen Morgenländischen
Gesellschaft
(DMG)), which is located in the department Vorderer Orient/Ethnologie. More information on the library of the
DMG can be found
here
.
Collection history
Universitätsbibliothek Halle was established shortly after the university was founded in 1694. The collection
expanded slowly but steadily through larger and smaller donations, the acquisition of individual private libraries
and mandatory deposits from local printers and publishers. The UB did not own a large number of manuscripts until
the middle of the 18th century. It was only after the closing of smaller universities and the secularisation of
monasteries and foundations during the Napoleonic period that the UB acquired a significant number of manuscripts.
At the end of the 19th century, the UB purchased more than 3,800 medieval and early modern documents as well as
several Romance and Latin manuscripts from the estate of the Milanese historian Carlo Morbio (1811−1881) on behalf
of the Prussian Ministry of Education. In 1938/39, by ministerial decision, the UB received the manuscript
treasure of the Quedlinburg Gymnasium, which originated from the former Stiftsbibliothek and contained important
Western codices as well as some Oriental manuscripts.
Catalogues
