Parchment Letters
The collection of parchment letters is among the library's earliest acquisitions, coming from the Gothenburg museum (now the Museum of Gothenburg).
About the collection
The Gothenburg University Library has a collection of some 150 letters written on parchment, dating from the Middle Ages until the 19th century. They include various official texts, such as title deeds, court letters, journeyman's certificates etc. Parchment remained in use in much later years, for documenting important official decisions and appointments. The collection also includes a few doctoral diplomas from 1783 and 1812 respectively. These are written on silk.
History
The original core of the collection are the letters transferred from the then Gothenburg museum in connection with the founding of the library in 1891. These 55 letters have been inventoried by Gustaf Henrik Brusewitz (and six of them are still held at the Museum of Gothenburg). The collection was later augmented with another six letters, likely provided by First Librarian J. Viktor Johansson. In later years the collection has grown to its current size through various gifts and donations.
Locate the collection
The collection awaits a complete inventory. Please contact the Manuscripts Section at the Humanities Library if you have any further questions about the Parchment Letters Collection.
Contact
Gothenburg University Library Manuscripts Section
Contact
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The Humanities Library
Renströmsgatan 4
405 30 GOTHENBURG
Read more
The Marginalia blog post Platt som pergament details the conservation work concerning our parchment letters.