Plantin-Moretus Museum
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Museum in Antwerp, Belgium honoring the famous printers Christoffel Plantijn and Jan Moretus. It is located in their former printing establishment, Plantin Press, at the Friday Market.
[edit] History
The printing company was founded in the 16th century by Christoffel Plantijn. After his death it was owned by his son-in-law Jan Moretus.
In 1876 Edward Moretus sold the company to the city of Antwerp. One year later the public could visit the living areas and the printing presses. In 2002 the museum was nominated as UNESCO World Heritage Site and in 2005 it was finally put on this list (as the first museum to be on the World Heritage List).
The Plantin-Moretus Museum possesses an exceptional collection of typographical material. Not only does it house the two oldest surviving printing presses in the world and complete sets of dies and matrices, it can also be proud of its magnificent library, a richly decorated interior and the entire archives of the Plantin business.
[edit] Collection
- a Bible in five languages: Biblia Polyglotta (1568-1573)
- Thesaurus Teutoniae Linguae
- a geographical book: Theatrum Orbis Terrarum made by Abraham Ortelius
- a book describing herbs: Cruydeboeck made by Rembert Dodoens
- an anatomical book made by Andreas Vesalius and Joannes Valverde
- a book about decimal numbers from Simon Stevin
[edit] External links
Belfries of Belgium and France (w/ France) | Brugge | Flemish Béguinages | Four Lifts on the Canal du Centre and their Environs, La Louvière and Le Roeulx (Hainault) | Grand-Place, Brussels | Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta (Brussels) | Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes (Mons) | Notre-Dame Cathedral, Tournai | Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex
