The Manuscript Collections of Europe: a mirror of migration, separation and reunification as seen in the Alexander von Humboldt Collection in Berlin

Abstract

Manuscripts and their creators are subject to the conditions of history. The history of the Alexander von Humboldt Collection in Berlin is a history of the migration of manuscripts, the separation of parts of the collection, and their reunification. This leads to some more general observations. What if the original location of a manuscript is not a safe one? How can we guarantee safe preservation of the manuscript in another location? There are good reasons to build an alliance of institutions willing to cooperate with respect to these questions. Since we cannot turn back the wheels of history, we must act together now and in the future.