Belarusian literary heritage kept in UK museum collections

10 февраля 2017

By Elena Bormotova: The 24th Minsk International Book Fair is dedicated to the 500th anniversary of Belarusian book printing and printing pioneer Francysk Skaryna, the guest of honour being the United Kingdom.

Belarusian and British scientists have met at the National Library today to discuss the return of Belarusian literature artifacts that are currently kept in the United Kingdom. Bibliographers and diplomats will meet in London at the end of the month, and a large-scale joint scientific conference will take place in Minsk in September.

London is home to the Francysk Skaryna Library and Museum with Europe’s largest collection of Belarusian literary heritage. A total of six original copies of books by Francysk Skaryna, the first Belarusian ABC book and the Statute of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the Old Belarusian language are kept in the UK’s museum collections.

A digital copy of Skaryna’s First Book of Kings, the original of which is kept at Cambridge’s Trinity College, was retuned to Belarus and included in a facsimile edition of Skaryna’s literary heritage. Today, the 20-volume version has received the Grand Prix of the national contest Book Art.

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