In 2025, we celebrate the 55th anniversary of the University of Gdańsk, which was established on March 20, 1970. This not-so-circular anniversary, however, prompted us to undertake initiatives aimed at showcasing the activities and achievements of our University, both historically, from its inception and in the present. Among our anniversary initiatives are also publishing initiatives. Books are, on the one hand, a symbol of the university, as they are created here as the fruit of the work of our scholars, and from them, scholars and students also draw knowledge. On the other hand, they have always been a form of recording history, events, and people. After all, verba violanti, scripta manent. And, as another Latin saying goes: Libri amici, libir magistri.
We are presenting to readers, alumni, and friends of the University of Gdańsk a series of three books whose common denominator is the diverse understanding of our University’s heritage. The library is the heart of the university. Every academic library is proud of its special collections, encompassing valuable manuscripts, old prints, graphics, maps, and rare artifacts. Among the publications commemorating the 55th anniversary of the University of Gdańsk’s founding, there is a collection of columns devoted to the most valuable written artifacts, which are carefully preserved in our collections. Their fragility prevents them from being viewed by a wider audience on a daily basis. However, to showcase their richness and diversity, this publication, expertly prepared over the years by curator Antoni Kakareko, is a testament to both the magnificent historical legacy we preserve for contemporary and future generations, and to our duty as a university to not only collect works but also to research them and share this knowledge with the entire academic community.
