Museum of Books and Travel

This story has an unusual beginning. It starts from the end. From impressions inscribed in the guest book, expressing the genuine enthusiasm of young visitors. Such impressions serve as true confirmation of the necessity of this visit. On 23 November 2023, a group of students from “Ruđer Bošković” Primary School visited the Museum of Books and Travel. The museum showcases the evolution of printing and written words, various forms of books worldwide, and highlights the development and significance of books for human civilization. The foundation of this institution is the Lazić Library, officially established in 1882 in Vojvodina, which has been thriving for nine generations. The association’s name, Adligat, originates from a library term indicating a collection of diverse books bound into one cover. This name symbolizes the interconnectedness not only of multiple books within one cover but also of multiple generations, cultures, countries, and people under one roof, in one institution.

The museum represents Serbian publishing, printing, and written words both in Serbia and abroad. In the museum, visitors also learn about foreign countries and cultures primarily through books and other exhibits (objects, philately, numismatics, etc.). In the permanent exhibition, among other things, our students saw:

– over 300 books written before 1800;
– books on bamboo sticks;
– a magical book from the jungle of the Indonesian Batak tribe, whose leaves are made from palm leaves and covers from bone;
– a book on paper made from elephant dung;
– an edible book made from rice;
– a book written on the highest quality silk;
– writing tools made of teak wood from Myanmar;
– a collection of over a hundred miniature books, the smallest being only 3.5 millimeters in size;
– books with carved wooden covers;
– books with pages made of teak wood and handmade paper from various Asian and African tribes;
– Tibetan prayer books with marble covers from Mongolia with decorations made of jade;

– handwritten works of famous writers;

– legacies of writers and other significant figures in our culture…

There was much curiosity, plenty of questions posed, and just as many yet to be asked – in the next visit.