Musica Warmiensis project restores historic musical manuscripts in Olsztyn

The Musica Warmiensis project has successfully completed the conservation and cataloging of a unique collection of handwritten musical manuscripts held at the Hosianum Library in Olsztyn. The initiative, which ran from 2020 to 2026, was supported by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Warmia-Masuria Voivodeship.

The collection includes 59 manuscripts containing 723 works, ranging from the 16th to the 19th century. This includes 42 individual manuscripts—comprising 30 authored and 12 anonymous works—and 17 collective volumes. A significant portion of the collection is linked to the collegiate church in Dobry Miasto.

Project coordinator Father Tomasz Garwoliński noted that the work involved cataloging, restoring, and preparing the pieces for musical performance, resulting in the production of five albums. Archbishop Józef Górzyński highlighted the project as a vital restoration of regional heritage, proving that Warmia was a significant cultural and musical center within the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.