Maritime Museum in Kotor Presenting Old and Rare Books

The Montenegrin Maritime Museum of Kotor in its library has a rich collection of old and rare books of mostly marine themes that also represent a cultural heritage and are part of the rich naval heritage of Boka Kotorska. The entire fundus of the library spans over 16.5 thousand titles, much of which is a protected cultural heritage. The exhibition will feature the most valuable and oldest books, dating back to the period from the 17th to the 1860s.

 

"In the catalogue that follows this exhibition as in showcases and on panels, we represent representative examples that are considered old and rare books. The booklet will be presented at the exhibition, consisting of copies from times 17, 18 and the first half of the 19th century. This old and rare library material consists of four old and rare books from the 17th century, 47 books from the 18th century and 323 books from the 19th century to the 1860s. ", Says one of the authors of the exhibition, Slavko Dabinovic. The bulk of the material to be presented is published in Italian, and the titles are in German, French and English. Part of the books published in the 19th century is written in Croatian and Serbian. "However, the most prominent is in Italian, as much as 90 per cent of the titles we will present," Dabinovic said, who prepared the exhibition with colleagues Danijela Nikcevic and Tomislav Bonić.

 

Otherwise, the rich library of the Maritime Museum in Kotor is available to all explorers dealing with a maritime past. The reading room is open every working day from 8 am to 3 pm, and valuable titles can be borrowed to make copies. Apart from the presentation of a priceless heritage, the exhibition "The Old and the Rare Books - The Maritime Museum of Montenegro Montenegro" aims to popularise the legacy and to turn the attention of researchers dealing with maritime past of Boka Bay. It seeks to promote the fact that in this cultural institution researchers can find a rich source of valuable evidence that attests to the time when Boka Bay was one of the most significant maritime destinations in the Mediterranean.

 

The exhibition opening will include the speeches of Andro Radulović, Director of the Maritime Museum and Slavko Dabinovic, one of the authors of the catalogue and exhibition. "Old and Rare Books - The Collection of the Maritime Museum of Montenegro of Kotor" will officially open Jasmina Bajo, Librarian Advisor at the City Library of Cultural Center Nikola Djurkovic in Kotor.