Burning of libraries Planned destruction of Warsaw

interior of zamoyski estate library in building @ Żabia street.



the 12th-century meuse school bible, 1 of books burned germans in october 1944.

during german suppression of warsaw uprising of 1944 around 70 80% of libraries burned verbrennungskommandos (burning detachments), mission burn warsaw. in october 1944 załuski library, oldest public library in poland , 1 of oldest , important libraries in europe (established in 1747), burned down. out of 400,000 printed items, maps , manuscripts, 1,800 manuscripts , 30,000 printed materials survived.

in last phase of warsaw uprising , after collapse, in september , october 1944, 3 major private libraries in warsaw (krasiński library, przeździecki library , zamoyski library), including collections of priceless value polish culture, ceased exist. libraries had suffered in september 1939, when bombed , burned.

an important collection of books belonging krasiński estate library, created in 1844, largely destroyed in 1944. collection consisted of 250,000 items. during uprising, on september 5, 1944, library s warehouses shelled german artillery , burned completely. of books preserved, thrown through windows library s staff. surviving collection later deliberately burned germans in october 1944 after collapse of uprising. 26,000 manuscripts, 2,500 incunables, 80,000 printed books, 100,000 drawings , printmakings, 50,000 note , theater manuscripts large collection of maps , atlases lost. przeździecki estate library in 6 foksal street included 60,000 volumes , 500 manuscripts, rich archive containing 800 parchment , paper documents, cartographic collection consisting of 350 maps, atlases , plans. in addition 10,000 prints , drawings, there extensive art gallery (portrait of casimir jagiellon 15th century, portrait of john iii sobieski schleissheim palace, house altar of sophia jagiellon, 1456), valuable collection of miniatures , decorative art: textiles, porcelain, faience, glass, gold objects, military, etc. burned down on september 25, 1939 result of severe aerial bombardment germans (incendiary bombing). surviving items sheltered in neighbouring tenement house @ szczygla street burned in october 1944. last of above mentioned libraries, zamoyski estate library, acquired collections of 70,000 works (97,000 volumes), more 2,000 manuscripts, 624 parchment diplomas, several thousand manuscripts, collection of engravings, coins , 315 maps , atlases. library collections gathered numerous collections of art: rich collection of militaria, miniatures, porcelain, faience , glass, natural collections, research tools etc. in 1939, 50,000 items (about 30%) destroyed in bombing. on september 8, 1944, germans set fire both zamoyski palace (blue palace) , library building.

the central military library, containing 350,000 books on history of poland, destroyed, including library of polish museum in rapperswil deposited there safekeeping. collection of rapperswil library transported poland in 1927. library , museum founded in rapperswil, switzerland, in 1870 refuge [poland s] historic memorabilia dishonored , plundered in [occupied polish] homeland , promotion of polish interests. greater part of library s collections, 20,000 engravings, 92,000 books , 27,000 manuscripts, deliberately destroyed germans in 1944.

unlike earlier nazi book burnings specific books deliberately targeted, burning of libraries part of general burning of large part of city of warsaw. resulted in disappearance of many valuable old books , scrolls among sixteen million volumes national library, museums , palaces burnt indiscriminately germans in poland during world war ii.