The Antverpiensia collection field contains books printed in Antwerp, written by natives of Antwerp, about Antwerp, or published by Antwerp organisations and institutions. Old Antwerp prints (printed before 1831) and their publishers are a particular focus of interest.
The history of our library is closely connected with the history of the city. In the sixteenth century, Antwerp was one of the world’s leading book production centres. Antwerp book printers often donated a copy of their publications to the City Library. Even after the Fall of Antwerp in 1585, Antwerp’s cultural life and printing sector continued to flourish until well into the seventeenth century. In the late eighteenth century, thousands of works from the libraries of dissolved Antwerp monasteries ended up in the City Library.
The connection with the city of Antwerp has been crucial right up to the present day. The collection began in 1481 as a reference library for city officials. Publications of the civic authorities are well represented. The collection includes extensive primary source material such as publications in connection with events, parades, festivals, exhibitions and commemorations in Antwerp. There is an almost complete set of ordinances and city edicts from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century. A copy of every publication issued by the city (and the province) continues to be placed in the Heritage Library even today.
The Heritage Library also acts as a repository library of Antwerp institutions, including those which are now defunct. Various special collections have found a home in the Heritage Library, including the libraries of the Bar Association, the Public Welfare Centre, the Cathedral of Our Lady and the Zoo. The recent acquisition of the libraries of the Folk Museum and the Maritime Museum has been the source of valuable additions to the collection, which has also been supplemented by the book collections of prominent Antwerp figures such as Georges Hasse, Walter Couvreur and Georges Eekhoud.