Medieval Fragments
Fragments are remains of written objects that were cut apart when they were no longer needed. They testify to lost manuscripts, charters, and similar items and allow insight into these unique cultural objects. Most of the manuscript fragments come from book bindings, for which they were used as recycled binding material. However, there are also cut-out pages and initials from the modern antiquarian trade.
The University Library has a comprehensive collection of detached fragments. Significantly more fragments are still located in historical bindings.
The University Library’s fragment collection includes around 800 signatures and contains mostly items that have been separated from book bindings since the 19th century. Reasons for the separation of the handwritten binding waste were the search for special scientific findings, the disassembly of composite volumes, or restoration measures. Additional fragments were donated to the collection. The fragment collection includes numerous significant individual items, such as the remains of the first necrology of the Cistercian abbey of Altzelle, pages from the 8th century with extremely early German entries, fragments of courtly epic manuscripts, such as Wolfram von Eschenbach’s “Parzival,” early unique records of musical pieces, or study notes from Leipzig University in the 15th century. The collection is organized by language into Fragmenta latina, Fragmenta hebraica, German Fragments, etc.
The fragment collection has been digitized in its entirety, with the online presentation depending on the availability of catalogue data. A significant part of the collection was made available online in the context of a third-party-funded project for the international portal Fragmentarium.
Of the extensive fragments still located in bindings, all manuscript fragments in the bindings of the incunabula collection have also been made digitally available.
The Leipzig fragments and their digitizations and catalogue data can be conveniently researched via the central German manuscript portal (HSP) and the Fragmentarium website.
Research:
The digitized fragments can be accessed via the Leipzig University Library catalog. The central German manuscript portal and the Fragmentarium website provide convenient access to the digitizations and catalog data of the Leipzig fragments.
Funded by:
- State Digitization Program for Science and Culture of the Free State of Saxony (LDP)
Licence:
- Public Domain