Exhibition on academic printing house from Tuesday at Museum of the UWr
You are cordially invited to the opening of the exhibition “Imprimatur. The academic printing house in Breslau in the years 1726-1804″, which will be held in the Sala pod Filarem (Hall under the Pillar) in the UWr Main Building on Tuesday 11 October at 12.00.
About the printing house
The academic printing house in Breslau operated from 1726 to 1804 as part of the university founded in 1702 by Emperor Leopold I of Habsburg. His son and successor, Emperor Joseph I Habsburg, granted the Jesuits of Breslau the privilege of opening their own printing works in 1705, but the outhouse did not become operational until 1726. Its founder was the Jesuit, university chancellor and theology professor Franciscus Hertzig, who nominally stood at its head. Subsequent heads of the printing works were Jesuit professors of the theological and philosophical faculties, and the technical managers of the printing works were specialists referred to by the Latinised term Factor.
It was originally called the Josepho-Carolinische Buchdruckerey der Gesellschaft Jesu in Breslau (Josephine-Carolina Printing House of the Society of Jesus in Wrocław), but was discontinued after 1740. This was probably linked to the political situation: in 1740, King Frederick II of Prussia entered Silesia and, as a result of the subsequent Silesian wars, took over the country, while the name of the printing works alluded to the Habsburg era.
In the 1830s, the printing house was the largest publishing house in the city. It flourished by fulfilling local and foreign orders. Operating for 79 years, the print shop printed about ¼ of all titles during its first years of operation, and more than half after 25 years of existence.
The publishing house printed in five languages: mainly Latin and German, with less frequent printings in Polish and, finally, occasional printings in French and Italian. Fonts of various typefaces and ink in black and red were used. With the passage of time, one can notice a greater proportion of prints inserted in prints, which is part of the 18th century trend of popularising the illustrated book. Most engravings were made in the Strahovskis’ workshop – the leading copperplate centre of 18th-century Breslau.
After the dissolution of the Jesuit order, the academic printing press in Breslau was run by the ex-Jesuits (from 1776). In 1804 it was leased by the Breslau printer Johann August Barth.
About the exhibition
The exhibition is presented in the Sala pod Filarem (Hall under the Pillar), a special place in the context of the exhibition theme – the room had been the seat of the printing works since the building of the University of Wrocław was erected in the early 1830s. Later, the printing works also occupied the Stefan Banach Room adjacent to the east.
All the prints presented in the exhibition come from the collection of the University Library in Wrocław.
The exhibition is accompanied by a publication entitled “The Academic Printing House in Breslau in the years 1726-1804”, edited by Urszula Bończuk-Dawidziuk and Jarosław Suleja, containing a list of prints that appeared in this outhouse and are available in public collections today.
The opening of the exhibition scheduled for 11 October 2022 at 12:00 in the Oratorium Marianum will be honoured by a performance by the ensemble Ars Cantus.
Exhibition organiser:
Museum of the University of Wrocław
Exhibition concept and scientific supervision:
prof. dr hab. Jan Harasimowicz
Exhibition curators:
Urszula Bończuk-Dawidziuk
Jarosław Suleja
Honorary patrons:
Józef Kupny – Archbishop Metropolitan of Wrocław
Jarosław Paszyński SJ – Provincial Minister of the Southern Polish Province of the Society of Jesus
Jacek Sutryk – Mayor of Wrocław
You are welcome!
