UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme is an international initiative launched to safeguard the documentary heritage of humanity against collective amnesia, neglect, the ravages of time and climatic conditions, and willful and deliberate destruction. It calls for the preservation of valuable archival holdings, library collections and private individual compendia all over the world for posterity, the reconstitution of dispersed or displaced documentary heritage, and the increased accessibility to and dissemination of these items.
Serbia is also participating in this Programme, and so far Serbia submitted and recommended the Miroslav’s Gospel – Manuscript from 1180, the Nikola Tesla’s Archive and the Telegram of Austria-Hungary`s declaration of war on Serbia on 28th July 1914 for inclusion in the Memory of the World Register.
Miroslav Gospel – Manuscript from 1180
The Miroslav Gospel, a manuscript dating from around 1180 with miniatures of outstanding beauty, is the representative of a group of illuminated manuscripts of specific style and iconography resulting from fusion of elements of the West (Italy) and the East (Byzantium). This Serbian script that the concept of book decoration shares with other Orthodox Slavs and the style with the miniatures originating from mid-Italian scriptoria, is actually one of the most important testimonies of the artistic influences paths made from the West to the East and back. The Miroslav Gospel documents the liturgic structure of the evangelistary and an important stage of development of the Rascian orthography, the importance of which goes beyond the mediaeval Serbia boundaries.
The valuable material – parchment and gilding – has been preserved almost completely and documents well the endowment power of Christian princes in the Balkans by the end of the 12th C. By its style which is the mixture of the influences from the West and the East, the Miroslav Gospel is the unique manuscript of its kind in the region, as well as in the world. By its beauty and uniqueness the Miroslav Gospel will influence later other manuscripts of the region, as well as of the Medieval Europe. This manuscript represents the most precious and significant document in cultural heritage in Serbia.
Nikola Tesla’s Archive
Documentary heritage submitted by Serbia and recommended for inclusion in the Memory of the World Register in 2003.
Nikola Tesla’s Archive consists of a unique collection of manuscripts, photographs, scientific and patent documentation which is indispensable in studying the history of electrification of the whole Globe.
Nikola Tesla, (1856 – 1943) Serbian-born, American inventor and scientist, a pioneer in electrification, significantly influenced the technological development of our civilization by his polyphase system inventions. This system is the cornerstone of modern electro-energetic system of production, long distance transmission and usage of electrical currents, electricity and communication.
Since the beginning of its exploitation towards the end of last century up to now, the polyphase system, together with the asynchronous motor, has been perfected and improved to a remarkable and hitherto unconceivable dimensions.
He is credited as being a very imaginative scientist whose ideas were paths to many important discoveries without which our civilization would lack many of its technological comforts (radio, radar, television, motors of all kinds, high frequency fields, coils, computers). Some of his ideas are still to be realized.
Way ahead of his time, he was one of the first to become aware of the emerging energy problem (1900) as a conclusion of his famous experiments in Colorado Springs (1899-1900).
In his honour, the magnetic induction unit (tesla) of the SI system is named after him.
Simply speaking, the collection documents the most important era of the history of development of the modern world, which, thanks to the Tesla system, made easy energy production and distribution possible.
Telegram of Austria-Hungary`s declaration of war on Serbia on 28th July 1914
Documentary heritage submitted by Serbia and recommended for inclusion in the Memory of the World Register in 2015.
Scanned version of the Telegram of Austria-Hungary’s declaration of war on Serbia on 28th July 1914.
Telegram of Austria-Hungary`s declaration of war on Serbia on 28th July 1914 marked the beginning of the First World War – one of the world’s most tragic conflicts in the history of human race and initiated the era of unprecedented suffering. The telegram is the unique testimony of the world’s diplomacy and an internationally important document.
Source: unesco.org
