Historical prints

• Contents

  • Incunables
  • Historical libraries and collections in the ULB
  • Historical libraries and collections in Westphalia
  • Provenances
  • Restitution
  • Subject expert

Incunables

The ULB Münster has about 900 incunables (prints until 1500). They mainly belonged to the holdings of the monasteries of Westphalia, which were secularised at the beginning of the nineteenth century. A catalogue of these holdings is under construction.
More about the incunables

Historical libraries and collections in the ULB

Regional Authority Library Arnsberg
This collection’s focus is on the sections of constitution and administration, law and jurisdiction.

Theatre Collection Busch
Collection of drama texts by largely unknown authors from the late eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, theoretical writings on theatre, staging policy and staging practice as well as theatre magazines

Collectio Erhard
The Collectio Erhard is a collection of prints and pamphlets from the Reformation period – for the most part it goes back to the personal papers of the Muenster archivist Heinrich August Erhard.

Fürstenberg-Stammheim Library
Private book collection of Franz von Fürstenberg (founder of the first University in Muenster) and his family.

Collection Georg
This collection was transferred from the Gelsenkirchen public library to the ULB.

Haindorf Library
The library of Alexander Haindorf / Collection of Loeb Boehme is mainly based on Alexander Haindorf (1784–1862).

Haxthausen Library
The Haxthausen Library for work and research which was developed particularly by August von Haxthausen (1792–1866).

Jesuit Library
The preserved holdings originating from the book collection of the Jesuit College in Münster are considered to be the heart of the University and State Library of Münster as it is today.

Capuchin Collection
The Capuchin Collection was named after its provenance from former monastery libraries of the Rhineland-Westphalian Capuchin province.

Library Kerckerinck zur Borg
The library of the Kerckerinck family in Borg is characterised by the cultural, clerical and political interests of individual family members.

State Mining Office Dortmund
The books of the old library – once the indispensable working tool of the State Mining Supervisory Authority – document the development lines and structures of the authority, which has been influencing the political, social and economic conditions in this region for more than 200 years.

Masters of the Art of Binding
The MDE-archive (MDE – Meister der Einbandkunst), supervised by the ULB, includes files, photographs, letters, and textbooks as well as a particularly valuable collection of hand bindings.

Historical Eastern Territories of Germany
This collection of books, manuscripts, maps and city views refers to historical eastern territories of Germany such as Prussia and Silesia.

Devotional Book Collection of Prelate Georg Schreiber
The collection of Georg Schreiber contains books of prayer and edification, sermon collections and devotional books.

Swift Collection of the Ehrenpreis Centre for Swift Studies
In advocating and encouraging an understanding of Swift within the scope of his own experience, premises, and knowledge, the Ehrenpreis Centre favours the pursuit of historicist principles.

Historical libraries and collections in Westphalia

The Office Historical Collections in Westphalia (HBW), which has been in existence at the ULB since 1990, was responsible for maintaining, preserving and developing the cultural heritage that has been created in the country for several centuries in written or printed form in accordance with modern rules so that it can be used and processed. The ULB's indexing measures have been extended beyond its own holdings since valuable holdings of libraries (mostly non-governmental) and collections in Westphalia have also been catalogued and the Manuscript Census Westphalia was published in 1999.
More about the libraries and collections