Plantin–Moretus Museum

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.

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.

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

External links

v t e World Heritage Sites in Belgium
Architectural Work of Le Corbusier¹ Belfries of Belgium and France² Flemish Béguinages Four Lifts on the Canal du Centre and their Environs Colonies of Benevolence³ Funerary and memory sites of the First World War (Western Front)⁴ Great Spa Towns of Europe⁵ Historic Centre of Bruges La Grand-Place, Brussels Major Mining Sites of Wallonia Major town houses of the architect Victor Horta Neolithic Flint Mines at Spiennes Notre-Dame Cathedral in Tournai Plantin-Moretus House-Workshops-Museum Complex Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe⁶ Stoclet House		Flag of Belgium
¹ Listing shared with six other countries, which includes Belgium's Maison Guiette; ² Listing shared with France; ³ Listing shared with the Netherlands, which includes Belgium's Wortel; ⁴ Listing shared with France ⁵ Listing shared with seven other countries, which includes Belgium's Spa; ⁶ Listing shared with seventeen other countries, which includes Belgium's Sonian Forest.