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Poland Recovers Rare 16th-Century Medical Books Lost in WWII
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Poland Recovers Rare 16th-Century Medical Books Lost in WWII

Sometimes history finds its way back. Two extraordinarily rare medical books, dating to the 16th and 17th centuries, have been returned to the northern Polish city of Elbląg — nearly eight decades after they vanished in the turmoil that followed World War II. It is the kind of story that reminds you how long-lost things can quietly survive before resurfacing in the most unexpected places.

Poland Recovers Rare 16th-Century Medical Books Lost in WWII
By Kamil Wrona | Last Updated: 29 Apr 2026
A Wartime Loss That Lasted Generations
The two volumes — Pharmacopoeia, published in Basel, Switzerland, in 1562, and Praxis medica, printed in Amsterdam in 1616 — had belonged to Elbląg's library for centuries. When the war ravaged the city, authorities made the difficult decision to relocate the library's collections to a nearby university for protection. During that transfer in 1947, around 65,000 books were successfully transported. But 18 crates holding the oldest and most precious volumes were taken to an unknown destination and simply never seen again. The two medical works were believed to be among them.

An Antique Shop Discovery That Changed Everything
The trail went cold for decades — until January of this year, when the library's director was tipped off that Pharmacopoeia had appeared for sale at a Warsaw antique bookstore. Once experts confirmed the book was genuine and traced its origins, the sale was immediately halted. What came next was equally surprising: the identified owners, Anna and Janusz Kowalski, revealed they also had Praxis medica in their possession. The couple explained that both books had been in their care for 45 years, left with them by a friend who had originally purchased them from another Warsaw antique shop. After consultations with specialists from the Ministry of Culture, the Kowalskis chose to donate both volumes to the State Treasury. The books have since been formally returned to Elbląg, where they belong.
 

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