Слоним в истории книжной культуры Великого княжества Литовского ХVIII века: книгоиздание и книгособирание

ENSłonim (a regional center in the District of Grodno) is one of the oldest cities if Belarus. The economic and cultural development of the city was related to the activity of the governor of Słonim, Michał Kazimierz Ogiński (1730-1800), the great Lithuanian hetman, who had his residence here in the half of the 18th century. The center of the city was rebuilt, a stone palace was erected, and a theater and laconic information about the printing house in Słonim. Only the date of its foundation - 1777 - does not evoke any doubts. This date is the same in all sources. The first edition of Cultus sanctorum Carthusiensium d. Brunonis is dated back to this year, however the final information includes the typography of the Dominicans of Słonim, not the court typography of Ogiński. Two book items, where Słonim was indicated as the place of publishing, are well known. This typography also includes three or five items - they are mainly librettos to the operas written by Ogiński. These operas were staged in the Court Theater of Słonim - The Conditions of Classes, Power of the World, Champs d'Elyzees. There are many discrepancies about the date of very rare - only two copies were discovered in Belarusian Archeological Museum of Grodno. There were large book collections in Słonim in the 18th century - the private of the Sapieha and Ogiński families, and monastic - of Bernardines, and Lateran regular canons. The history of these book collections is unknown, although there are inventories and descriptions of some of them (a part of them is included in the U. Paszkiewicz brochures). The Registers of books, stamps, musical instruments and scores given to the academic schools of the District of Vilnius in Mołodeczno as a present by count M. Ogiński are particularly interesting. They are stored in the National Historical Archive of the Belarusian Republic.