Berlinka, German manuscript library at Jagiellonian Library, Kraków, Poland
Berlinka is a special collection at Jagiellonian University holding around 300,000 German manuscripts and documents stored in climate-controlled vaults. The holdings include original musical scores by renowned composers, medieval texts, and writings from authors such as the Brothers Grimm.
The collection originated from the Prussian State Library, relocated to Grüssau in 1942 for safekeeping during wartime. After the conflict, Polish forces transported the materials to Kraków between 1945 and 1946, where they have remained as a deposit at the university.
The collection reflects the literary and intellectual life of German-speaking regions, featuring works by writers, composers, and scholars whose ideas shaped Europe. Visitors can see handwritten scores and personal documents that show how people thought and worked in their time.
Access to the collection typically requires research credentials and advance notice to the university library's special collections department. Visitors should specify their research interests beforehand so that relevant materials can be prepared in advance.
The collection preserves personal letters and annotated copies from the estate of Karl August Varnhagen von Ense, offering insights into 19th-century intellectual networks. These documents reveal connections between influential thinkers and allow researchers to trace personal relationships among writers and scholars.
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