Bern, Burgerbibliothek
The Burgerbibliothek Bern is a cultural institute of the Burgergemeinde Berne, a Civic Community. The Burgerbibliothek in its current state was established in 1951 when the town and university library was transformed into a foundation. Today the Burgerbibliothek is open to the public. Its scientific archives hold and preserve numerous important and internationally renowned manuscripts, records and photographic files. Among the best known collections are those of the medieval manuscripts, the Bongarsiana-Codices, documents concerning Swiss and Bernese history as well as bequests of important people such as Albrecht von Haller or Jeremias Gotthelf. The Burgerbibliothek also acts in an archival capacity for the Burgergemeinde (Civic Community), the guilds and the Burger’s societies. As a scientific institute, the Burgerbibliothek is of service to researchers and is also open to the interested public. Its collection is accessible in a beautiful reading room and conveyed through publications, guided tours and exhibitions.
Four bifolia (likely 1 quire) from a small-format manuscript, which, as the scribal note (f. 5v-6r) of a certain Letaldus suggests, comes from Fleury or Micy. It contained, in addition to excerpts from the works of Priscian and of Seneca, the Disticha Catonis and other pieces. In 1632, the fragment came to Bern in the property of Jacques Bongars via Pierre Daniel, who copied the scribe’s note in Bern, Burgerbibliothek, Cod. 450.11.
Online Since: 07/12/2021
The so-called "Berner Parzival" is the last dated manuscript of Wolfram von Eschenbach’s epic poem about the Holy Grail, created between 1200 and 1210; moreover, this textual witness is adorned with illustrations. Presumably the Bernese merchant Jörg Friburger commissioned the manuscript in 1467 from the scribe Johann Stemhein of Konstanz, who edited and stylistically modernized the text of his model to match the tastes of a late medieval urban public. In addition, he gave directions for illustrations, which were later executed by a painter who created 28 colored pen and ink drawings. The further history of this manuscript,which today consists of 180 leaves, is unknown; it must, however, have reached the Bernese municipal library in the early years of the 19th century, where it is attested at least since 1816.
Online Since: 09/26/2017
This manuscript assembles about 700 documents from the years 814-1242, which concern the administration of the Chapter and the Cathedral of Lausanne. The compilation of the cartulary began around 1202 and was completed in 1242; 5 files, dated 1250-1294, were added later. The material structure of the manuscript is very complex because of numerous additions to the original core, which corresponds to the Livre censier du Chapitre cathédral de Lausanne of about 1202. The manuscript contains various texts: the Annals of Lausanne, a topographic cartulary, a chronological register, two chronicles, an urbarium, the Chronicle of the Bishops of Lausanne and the Cathedral’s necrology. The author of this valuable collection is Conon d’Estavayer (before 1200-1243/1244), who became Dean of the Cathedral in 1202. From 1216 until 1242, he directly supervised the editing of the manuscript and the organization of the documents.
Online Since: 12/13/2013
Composite manuscript consisting of four very different parts that probably came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars; parts B and C are from the Collège de Navarre in Paris. All parts are at least partly illuminated. All fragments have related parts in other libraries: for part A, Paris BN lat. 7709, f. 1–4; for B, Paris BN lat. 17566, f. 1–40; for C, Paris BN lat. 17902, f. 1–85; and for D, Leiden UB, Voss. Q 2 IX (f. 60).
Online Since: 10/10/2019
Composite manuscript consisting of two different parts that probably came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars. Part A comes from an extensive collection of lives of the saints for the liturgy of Fleury, various of which have been preserved in the Vatican Library: Reg. lat. 274, f. 95–102; Reg. lat. 318, f. 1–79, 80–146, 147–258; Reg. lat. 585, f. 13–27; Reg. lat. 711.II, f. 11–18; 67–76. Part B contains fragments from Isidore’s grammatical writings and probably was written in Eastern France.
Online Since: 10/10/2019
The only textual witness for certain letters by Salvianus of Marseille, the complement of which is preserved in Paris BN lat. 2174, f. 113–115. This non-illuminated fragment probably came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 10/10/2019
Fragment of the Boethius' On Arithmetic, containing numerous schematic drawings; it probably came to Bern in 1632 as part of the property of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 10/10/2019
Two bifolia from an Isidore manuscript that was probably produced in the Loire region. The fragment contains, among others, a carefully sketched wind rose as well as astronomical texts at the end that, in the context of the Aratea, are known as the “Scholia Bernensia”. It probably came to Bern in 1632 as part of the collection of Jacques Bongars.
Online Since: 10/10/2019
Fragment of a manuscript in uncial script containing medical texts; it was probably written in Spain and came to the library of Chartres Cathedral perhaps via Italy. The remaining parts are preserved in Paris BN lat. 10233. Based on an entry by the Bernese librarian Samuel Hortin, the fragment in all likelihood came to Bern in 1632 as part of the Bongarsiana collection.
Online Since: 10/10/2019
The Amtliche Berner Chronik (Official Chronicle of Bern) was commissioned by the city of Bern in 1474. About ten years later, Diebold Schilling was able to present the city council with this three-volume work, with its title pages in color, decorative initials, and more than six hundred large illustrations. The first volume contains the early history of Bern from the founding of the city until the year 1421, based on the older chronicle by Konrad Justinger, following the version by Bendicht Tschachtlan. The work remained in the possession of the Bern Chancellery for nearly three hundred years before the volumes were given to the City Library in 1762.
Online Since: 12/20/2012
The Amtliche Berner Chronik (Official Chronicle of Bern) was commissioned by the city of Bern in 1474. About ten years later, Diebold Schilling was able to present the city council with this three-volume work, with its title pages in color, decorative initials, and more than six hundred large illustrations. The second volume contains accounts of events from the years 1421 through 1466, based for the most part on Benedicht Tschachtlan’s edition of Fründ's work. The work remained in the possession of the Bern Chancellery for nearly three hundred years before the volumes were given to the City Library in 1762.
Online Since: 12/20/2012
The Amtliche Berner Chronik (Official Chronicle of Bern) was commissioned by the city of Bern in 1474. About ten years later, Diebold Schilling was able to present the city council with this three-volume work, with its title pages in color, decorative initials, and more than six hundred large illustrations. The third, artistically richest volume contains Schilling’s own description of the Burgundian wars, together with that of the preceding period, up to the year 1480. It is closely related to the Grosse Burgunderchronik (Great Burgundian Chronicle) currently held by the Zentralbibliothek Zürich. The work remained in the possession of the Bern Chancellery for nearly three hundred years before the volumes were given to the City Library in 1762.
Online Since: 12/20/2012
The Spiezer Chronik by chronicler Diebold Schilling, named after its longtime home city of Spiez, is also known, because it was privately commissioned by Rudolph von Erlach, as the Privater Schilling. It contains the early history of Bern from the founding of the city to events that took place in the mid-15th century. Unlike Schilling’s three-volume official chronicle, the Amtliche Berner Chronik (Bern, Burgerbibliothek Mss.h.h.I.1-3), it remains incomplete (the Burgundian wars are not included).
Online Since: 12/20/2012
This fragment from Königsfelden Monastery consists of only 12 leaves (= 1 quire) and contains a complete calendar (necrology) with records of the days of death of the members of the donor family from the House of Habsburg, as well as that of the confessor of Queen Agnes of Hungary (Lamprecht of Austria), up until 1330. After the dissolution of the monastery, it passed into private hands in Bern in 1528, and in the 19th century, it was donated to the Stadtbibliothek of Bern.
Online Since: 06/14/2018
Remnants of an Alcuin's Bible from the Dominican Monastery of Bern, which were used around 1495 by the bookbinder Johannes Vatter as pastedowns for various incunables that are currently held in Bern and Solothurn. After the secularization of the monastery in 1528, the host volume (MUE Inc. I.20) perhaps as part of a bequest of books by the Venner [standard bearer] Jürg Schöni in 1534, became part of the Bern library. Reunification of the fragments: [sine loco], codices restituti, Cod. 5 (Biblia latina).
Online Since: 12/12/2019