16 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Manuscript Portal Brings Medieval Manuscripts from Greifswald Online

Greifswald’s oldest books can be accessed digitally via another new portal. The Manuscript Portal (HSP) is the central online portal for handwritten books from the Middle Ages and modern times. These books are unique cultural artifacts and unique historical sources. The participating libraries from all over Germany make their historical works available to the public and researchers via the portal.

The Greifswald University Library (UBG) and the Library of the Spiritual Ministry in Greifswald as a historical church library have a rich collection of medieval manuscripts. These collections are an important part of the educational and cultural history of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. In a project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Greifswald University Library (UBG) digitized the valuable works and presented the results via the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Digital Library and in the manuscript portal.

In the project, 104 manuscript volumes from the Greifswald Ministry of Spirituality and 55 volumes from the holdings of the Greifswald University Library were digitized. In total, this resulted in 83,375 image files with 72,293 pages. Together with previously digitized works, 165 manuscripts stored in Greifswald are now available via the M-V Digital Library and the manuscript portal.

Digitizing medieval manuscripts is a particular challenge. Before they can be scanned, bookbinders and conservators work on books with water damage, loose leaves, or defective bindings. In addition, the employees have to handle the valuable unique items with particular care.

Other holdings of modern texts are often still unrecognized in libraries and archives. Baptism and death registers, files, protocols, and transcripts from the city and university history of Greifswald are waiting to be digitized. The experience of the past few months shows that the accessibility via the handwriting portal also increases usage figures significantly. In addition, new processing options are emerging: users can compare digitized manuscript fragments and put them back together virtually.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



A manuscript is being digitized in the Greifswald library. Photo © Jan Messerschmidt, 2023
A manuscript is being digitized in the Greifswald library. Photo © Jan Messerschmidt, 2023

The amount of data is also a challenge. To be able to work with the content of the holdings, new search options must be found. The first steps have been taken through handwriting text recognition: The Greifswald University Library has been involved in several DFG projects using the Transkribus software since 2015. However the further development of this AI is not a sure-fire success; medieval manuscripts in particular require experts who train text recognition in different languages (Latin, Low German, Middle High German) and writing models. The University of Greifswald has the appropriate platforms available and participates in these developments in close cooperation with researchers.

The Manuscript Portal cooperation project is headed by Dr Robert Giel, Head of the Department of Western Manuscripts at the Berlin State Library. Dr. Christoph Mackert, deputy overall project manager, co-founded the Manuscript Centre at Leipzig University Library in 2000, which catalogs and digitizes manuscript collections in many projects, including for the Stralsund City Archive. Bruno Blüggel is head of the Digitisation Centre at Greifswald University Library and has coordinated several third-party-funded digitization projects.

Handschriftenportals

Cover Photo: The libraries’ medieval manuscripts can now be found both analog and digitally. Photo: Katrin Sturm © UB Leipzig

Related Articles

Recent Excavations in Spain Reveal 7th Century BCE Religious Structure, Showcasing Eastern Influences within Tartessian Culture

18 February 2025

18 February 2025

A research team led by the National University of Distance Education (UNED) has made an important archaeological discovery at the...

Scientists reveal new discovery inside the Pyramid of Khufu

20 March 2023

20 March 2023

An Egyptian pyramid for 4,500 years is still spilling secrets. After a years-long project using modern technology to reveal the...

A First in Denmark: Rare 4th Century Roman Helmet and Chainmail Found

3 February 2025

3 February 2025

Archaeologists have recently unearthed a massive stockpile of weapons near Hedensted, Denmark, buried 1,500 years ago by an ancient chief....

Unique Lion-Headed Handles Unveiled from a Roman-Period Cist Tomb Near Khirbat Ibreika

30 April 2025

30 April 2025

Beneath the ancient dust of Khirbat Ibreika in southern Israel, archaeologists have unearthed an unexpected enigma: four bronze discs, each...

Earliest glass workshop north of the Alps unearthed in Němčice

25 July 2023

25 July 2023

Archaeologists excavated the famous Iron Age site Němčice and uncovered the earliest glass workshop north of the Alps. Numerous beautiful...

Europe’s Oldest Megalithic Alignments Dated with Unprecedented Precision

28 June 2025

28 June 2025

New research reveals that the Carnac alignments in Brittany may be Europe’s oldest megalithic monuments, pushing back the timeline of...

Vindolanda marks the 1900th anniversary of Hadrian’s Wall with an altar discovery

9 February 2022

9 February 2022

The excavation season hasn’t started yet, but the Vindolanda Roman fort has kicked off Hadrian’s Wall’s 1900th anniversary year with...

Archaeologists find 2,000-year-old eyeshadow and blush in ancient Roman city of Aizanoi

24 September 2023

24 September 2023

Archaeologists discovered rare makeup products of 10 different colors and different sorts of hair accessories and jewelry during excavations at...

Celtic Traditions Endured Long After Roman Conquest: Archaeological Research in Saarland Reveals a Hybrid Past

20 September 2025

20 September 2025

Excavations in Oberlöstern uncover burial mounds, villas, and monuments that blend Celtic and Roman traditions—tracing the roots of European identity....

Ancient tombs discovered at Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral

15 March 2022

15 March 2022

Archaeologists discovered several graves and a leaden sarcophagus possibly dating from the 14th century at Paris’ Notre Dame church, France’s...

2,500-Year-Old Burial Site in Negev Highlands Reveals Ancient Trade Routes and Evidence of Human Trafficking

5 February 2025

5 February 2025

The Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Wednesday the discovery of a 2,500-year-old burial site in the Negev Highlands. This significant...

Archaeologists Uncover 4,800-Year-Old Bronze Age Tombs in Başur Höyük, Türkiye, Where Teenage Girls Were Ritually Sacrificed

30 March 2025

30 March 2025

As the first civilizations began to emerge in Mesopotamia and Anatolia, significant transformations in social structure, economy, and culture took...

Colossae Ancient City Excavation Works Begin

8 September 2021

8 September 2021

Excavations of the ancient city of Colossae, located in the Honaz district of Denizli province in western Turkey, are starting...

Name of Iranian city identified on 1800-year-old Sassanid clay seal

9 April 2024

9 April 2024

In a stunning archaeological find, the name “Shiraz” was identified on a clay sealing from the Sassanid era written in...

6th-Century BC Houses and Earthquake Evidence Discovered in Davti Blur, an Urartian Fortress City in Armenia

28 January 2025

28 January 2025

An Armenian-Polish archaeological team has uncovered remnants of 6th-century BC houses, a cremation cemetery, and signs of a significant earthquake...