About the Former Library of the Auersperg Princes (Turjaški) in Ljubljana

Abstract

The library, formed in the 14th century in the Turjak castle, being for 250 years in the prince's palace in Ljubljana, in the middle of the 17th century multiplied by the province governor Volfgang Engelbert Auersperg, later had not had a noticable increase. Beside some manuscripts it kept an exceptional collection of printings from the Continental Europe, works of the leading authors, editions of famous publishers and was considered the largest nobility library in Carniola. After the earthquake in Ljubljana 1895 the owners moved the library to Upper Austria. In recept decades the library was in specialised literature quoted to have been incorporated into the Congress library in Washington, but it actually remained in the family up to 1982 and party 1983, when it was sold by auction at Sotheby's in London. From both auction catalogues which enable insight into a considerable part of the former fund, it can be established that over 1300 works were at auction, of which 50 were incunabula, over 300 works from the 16th and 900 from the 17th centuries.