ZAGREB, 29 Sept (Hina) - The monograph "Incunabula Croatica", which features 96 Croatian incunabula across 180 copies identified in 40 institutions throughout Croatia, was presented last Thursday at the National and University Library (NSK) in Zagreb.
Culture and Media Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek said that the book was the result of years of research and dedicated work on the oldest printed books in Croatia. It represents a powerful symbol of our relationship with and respect for cultural heritage, the minister noted, adding that Croatia, at a pivotal moment in history, was not only present but also highly active.
She underscored that the first Croatian printed book, "Missal According to the Law of the Roman Court" from 1483, was printed just 28 years after Gutenberg's Bible.
This firmly places Croatia on the map of European printing history.
The Missal confirms that from the very beginning, we shared the values and achievements of the European cultural community while bravely preserving our own language, script, and identity, the minister said.
Ivanka Stričević, Director of the NSK, noted that the publication of the monograph was just the beginning of the story of Croatian incunabula.
She said that Croatia's early printed books safeguard national identity and reflect the country's cultural standing at the time.
"Incunabula are the symbolic cradle of Croatian written and printed culture," Stričević said, adding that of the approximately 30,000 listed incunabula in Europe, over 1,500 are held in Croatia.
Of the 1,740 incunabula copies in Croatia, 190 are Croatian incunabula, she noted. "We know there are more Croatian incunabula, especially outside the country - they just need to be discovered," she said, adding that the publication of this book was a strong boost for all those engaged in incunabulistics, medieval studies, and cultural research in general.
Incunabula reflect Croatia’s integration into the cultural currents of the time
According to the editor of the monograph, Marijana Tomić, Croats entered the world of print in the early 1470s. Croatian incunabula are those printed on Croatian territory, by Croatian authors or typographers, in the Croatian language or the Croatian recension of Church Slavonic, as well as those involving Croatian translators, editors, or similar contributors, the editor said.
She noted that these incunabula strongly demonstrate the integration of Croatian culture into the European cultural, scientific, and technological currents of the time. In the early phases, Croats printed incunabula in Latin at major European printing centres, while typographers such as Andrija Paltašić and Dobrić Dobričević produced some of the most beautiful and valuable incunabula in Europe.
Mateo Žagar, Fellow of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, said that the status of printed books held special significance in every culture, and that the first printed book marks the beginning of a new era leading into modern times.
The monograph was published by the National and University Library in Zagreb.
