SLOVAK NATIONAL LIBRARY

The Birth of the Book is the name of this year´s exhibition Gutenberg's library, which is prepared every year by the Slovak National Library in the Apponyi Library. This time we will go back in time to the period when the first printed books were created.

The printing press was a revolutionary invention. Books suddenly became available to rich as well as to poor people. The books have become a tool of communication and education. They spread progress, new ideas and information and thus influenced the course of the world like few other inventions. Although the mechanical reproduction of written text was already known to the ancient Chinese in the 8th century, the creation of a book was lengthy. In Europe, Johann Gutenberg perfected the process by constructing a page of letters that could be freely folded and moved to create different text.

At the Birth of the Book exhibition, we will go deep into the history of this revolutionary invention. And on this journey, we will be accompanied by Johann Gutenberg himself, who will reveal how his printing press changed civilization. In addition, visitors will see some interesting and rare books. The Gutenberg Library is an event that combines an exhibition of rare books with a dramatized interpretation that tells visitors stories of the past in an engaging way.

Come and join us on this fascinating trip into the past in the most beautiful interior library in Slovakia – The Apponyi Library. We look forward to see you! However, do not forget to reserve it in advance: +421 915 851 883, ondrej.somodi@snk.sk. The exhibition lasts until March 31, 2024.

The Bibliotheca Apponiana returned from the collections of the Slovak National Library, which has been maintaining and administering it for several decades, to the beautiful Oponice Manor House, which was renovated – including its right wing – by a private company in 2011. Currently, the collection of The Apponyi Library contains over 20,000 volumes written in 12 languages. The interesting fact is that there is not one book printed in Slovak.