20-24 septembrie 2009 - Biblioteca Metropolitana Bucuresti

How the collections of the National Library of Finland reflect... 299as had their ancestors, finding their sustenance from the land, the forestsand waters. 2Fortunately in the 17 th century, Finland had an energetic and powerfulGovernor-general, Count Per Brahe who held the post twice in 1637-1640and 1648-1654. Per Brahe was also one of the moving forces behind thecreation of a university, or academy Academia Aboensis founded by QueenChristina at Turku in 1640. 3 The library of the Academy started quite soonto act also as the national library of the Grand Duchy of Finland, though theUniversity Library functions were, by far, more prominent.The basis of the Academia Aboensis was the gymnasium Turku hadalready got in 1630, as a result of the reorganisation of the educationalsystem in Sweden, and the Academy’s Library started with 21 volumespreviously owned by the Turku gymnasium. 4 It was not possible for theAcademy to manage with these books which, according to the estimationof Henrik Gabriel Porthan (1739-1804), the great Finnish historian, weremostly good for nothing. The libraries of Sweden were, as a rule, expandingduring the 17 th century as a result of Swedish successful campaigns, andsince 1621 books had been coming in abundance from the continent tothe Royal Library in Stockholm, Uppsala University Library and to somegymnasium libraries. However, while the libraries of the mother countrygrew significantly during the 17 th century, the collections of the BibliotecaAcademiae Aboensis remained small. 5Academia Aboensis was founded without printing facilities. During thefirst two years the lack of the printing press significantly limited Academy’sactivities. Beside this, it also affected the development of the Library’scollections. The situation started to get better in 1642, when the Academygot its own printing press. Now the Royal Academy of Turku was able toget the books printed in its own printing press, and it could also start theexchange of materials with important foreign universities and this way getthe contemporary scientific writing to its collections. 6Finally even Turku was able to have its share of the war booties, whenin 1646 the Library received a considerable donation by a Finnish bornlady, Christina Horn, widow of General Torsten Stålhandske. ChristinaHorn donated to the Academy the library confiscated by her late husbandin Denmark. Her donation included 900 volumes and 1100 different works2Kirby, p. 47.3Ibidem: 38.4Vallinkoski: 89-90.5Ibidem:. 96.6Havu: 89-90.