Museum Plantin-Moretus/Prentenkabinet

Web site: http://www.museumplantinmoretus.be/

Added by: boekerij.  Contacted: Not contacted.

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Description: Het Plantin-Moretusarchief werd op 4 september 2001 door de Unesco ingeschreven op de lijst van het roerend cultureel erfgoed (Memory of the world programm), vanwege zijn bezit van de oudste documenten m.b.t. de boekdrukkunst en als neerslag van de belangrijkste tendensen in het cultuur- en geestesleven van de 16de eeuw.
Het historische monument werd inclusief al zijn verzamelingen en archief op 15 juli 2005 ingeschreven op de Unesco-werelderfgoedlijst als het ‘Complex woning-ateliers-museum Plantin-Moretus’.



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.

A visit to the workshops of the old printing firm is particularly compelling. Why not slip into the overalls of a 17th century printer's apprentice and experience the entire printing process? In the letter foundry the type cutter's chisels lie ready to cut out an elegant die, which will then be struck into a matrix with which a new letter will finally be cast. The printing room contains the many thousands of letters from which the finger-fast typesetter picks what he needs to fill his composing stick and galley. The printing presses from the 17th and 18th centuries run off the typeset texts in no time. In the corrector's room you can then correct the proofs until you're quite satisfied with the result. And ... to settle your bill you'll have to step into Plantin's office or go to the old shop across the central courtyard.