500 Years of Belarusian Book Printing

MINSK, 22 December (BelTA) – The last volumes of the The Book Heritage of Francysk Skaryna collection have been donated to the major libraries of Ukraine, BelTA learned from the website of the Belarusian Embassy in Ukraine.

The ceremony took place in Kiev on 22 December. Director of the Belarusian National Library Roman Motulsky gifted the books to the Yaroslav Mudryi National Scientific Library, the State Museum of Books and Book Printing of Ukraine, the State Historical and Cultural Reserve in Ostrog, the Korolenko Kharkov State Scientific Library, the Odessa National Academic Library, the Zakarpattia Local History Museum, the Sheptytsky National Museum in Lvov and the Stefanyk National Scientific Library.

In May 2016 the Ukrainian libraries in Kiev were given the first volumes of the facsimile edition “The Book Heritage of Francysk Skaryna”, the embassy informed.

The international publishing project implemented by Belarus’ National Library and Bank BelVEB took five years and is dedicated to the 500th anniversary of the Belarusian book printing. The facsimile collection of 21 volumes includes digital copies of the books printed by famous humanist Francysk Skaryna in Prague and Vilna. In the year marking the 500th anniversary of Belarusian book printing, the multi-volume publication introduces the world’s community to a valuable stratum of the Belarusian history and shows Belarus as a country with rich and distinctive cultural traditions.