Buch des Gedächtniβ – The Oldest Town Record of Chojnice (1436–1544): Circumstances Surrounding Its Writing and a Codicological Commentary

Abstract

This article contains an analysis of the codicological context and circumstances surrounding the writing of the oldest city record of Chojnice. This volume is the most important source of information about the town’s medieval history. It is in the State Archive in Bydgoszcz in the section devoted to Documents of Chojnice under signature no. 33. The date of its writing has provoked controversy among scholars, as the date of 1436 was often misread as 1466. The author discusses and analyzes the structure of the volume, the phases of its production, and dates the paper on the basis of an analysis of the dating ofthe water marks. These water marks confirm that volume began to be kept in the 1430s and subsequent pages were sown in as the pages of the manuscript were filled up. It is a typical record of entries kept simultaneously by the council and the town court; it was kept through to the 1640s. The introductory section of the volume is unique. There the councilors present in minute detail the motives behind starting it. They call it a book of memory, one that aims to preserve a memory of official matters, court cases, and transactions entered into. The author also considers the circumstances that could have influenced the late establishment of the record – only in 1436 – and points out the self‑awareness of the members of the town council as guardians of the memory of the town’s history.