Österreichische Nationalbibliothek

Thanks to the dynastic and political relationships that connected the House of Habsburg and Burgundy from the early sixteenth century, the Austrian National Library holds a rich collection of illuminated manuscripts from Flanders. These document virtually the entire book production of the southern Netherlands from the time of Duke Philip the Good until well into the sixteenth century. Via the Habsburg governors of the Netherlands, the most important illuminated manuscripts in the Burgundian library, such as the Chronicle of Jerusalem (Vienna, Austrian National Library, Cod. 2533), the Roman de Girart de Roussillon (Cod. 2549), and the Book of Hours of Mary of Burgundy (Cod. 1857), were brought to Vienna during this period. Other prestigious works were acquired by Emperor Charles VI from the private collections of Prince Eugene of Savoy and his adjutant general Georg Wilhelm Freiherr von Hohendorf in the first half of the eighteenth century.

For conservation reasons, these items can only be made accessible within the context of special exhibitions. Interested individuals can, however, consult specific key works in the form of either a facsimile or a digital copy.

Friedrich Simader, Collection of Manuscripts and Old Prints