Count Bombelles' Library

Dostopno s kolesom Dostopno z avtom Dostopno peš
  Uršulinska ulica 5 , 42000 Varaždin  Show on map   Digital library

The preserved legacy of the noble family Bombelles in the Varaždin City Museum is housed in several museum departments and is an important source for the study of this family - books, music, photographs and other artefacts testify to the life and habits of the family, and are an indicator of their culture, economic power, social status, heritage and interests. Books and libraries have always had a special place in the life of the nobility, as a sort of window into the world of literature, philosophy, art, politics, economics, social and natural sciences, and general human achievements in all areas. Like every wealthy and educated noble family, the Bombelles family also possessed an impressive library that was not simply an ornament of the Opeka Castle in Vinica, but was also a valuable source of knowledge and information.

The Bombelles' extensive private library reveals not only their love for books, but also their awareness of their value and importance, and as such is also a valuable testimony to the education and culture of this noble family. The library collection has been passed down through the generations and over time it was considerably enlarged, thanks to the family members who kept and constantly updated the collection. The Bombelles’ family library consists of several units. One includes books brought to Opeka by Marko Bombelles Senior that had belonged to his parents Henrik Francois Bombelles and Sofia Fraser and other members of the family, including Mark's sister Therese and his uncle Louis Bombelles. The second part was brought by Ferdinanda Drašković, descendant of the Drašković family, after her marriage to Marko Bombelles senior. This collection contained books formerly owned by her father Franjo III. Drašković, the great-grandfather of Franjo I. Drašković and his brother Josip Drašković. The family library also houses books brought to Opeka by the wives of Marko Jr., Maria Salm Reifferscheidt - Raitz and Marie Mittrowsky. Another unit within the library collection contains five hundred books from Borl (Ankenstein).