Muzeum Najmniejszych Książek Świata Zygmunta Szkocnego
Private museum in the creator's villa in Piotrowice with hand-written miniature books by Zygmunt Szkocny, including the smallest book in the world according to the Guinness Book of Records.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Museum of the World's Smallest Books is at ul. Traktorzystów 5 in the Piotrowice district of Katowice, in the villa where Zygmunt Szkocny (born 1911), an architect and civil servant by profession, lived and worked. The exhibition has operated since 1970 in the author's private house and is devoted to his work. Szkocny began writing miniature booklets in the 1930s, after reading about a tiny prayer book presented to the Dutch Princess Juliana. His first book was “III Powstanie Śląskie” (The Third Silesian Uprising), measuring 20 × 15 mm.
All the booklets are handwritten with a technical pen and later with the tip of an ink drop, on velour or office paper, and bound in leather according to the rules of bookbinding. Each one is placed on a carved pedestal with a description of its dimensions, number of characters and pages. During the war the author hid his works in a shelter at the town hall; only three works survived, so after 1945 he recreated the lost booklets and created new ones.
The collection displays 87 copies from 165 miniature works: biographies of famous people, Nobel laureates and accounts of great events. The most famous is the booklet with the Latin alphabet, measuring 1 × 0.8 mm, which was entered in the Guinness Book of Records in 1976. Curiosities also include a grain of pea with three prayers and a postage stamp with the text of a building law.
Highlights
- Latin alphabet, 1 × 0.8 mm: a Guinness record
- 87 miniature books, hand-written and bound in leather
- Biographies of, among others, Chopin, Copernicus, Nobel and Leonardo da Vinci
- Grain of pea with three prayers and a stamp with the text of a law
- Tour in the villa where the author lived and worked
Permanent exhibition
- Wystawa stała miniaturowych książek Zygmunta Szkocnego – 87 hand-written miniature books with biographies and accounts of historical events, including a booklet with the Latin alphabet measuring 1 × 0.8 mm.
- Founded
- 1970
- Operated by
- Muzeum prywatne (willa rodziny Szkocnych)
Admission & discounts
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Accessibility
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Kids & families
According to family guides, the exhibition is interesting for older children (from about 8 years old) and their parents.
Getting there & parking
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Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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Plan your visit
| Good to know | The museum is private and is located in the author's house; it is worth arranging a date before the visit. |
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