The Burgerbibliothek Bern is continuously making newly digitised holdings available online via the archives catalogue. 

In the Graphics Collection, Photographic Archives and Paintings division, a large proportion of the described holdings have been digitised and are available in the archives catalogue for direct download. You will find instructions on searching for images here.

Where the Burgerbibliothek has digitised documents from other divisions, it also makes these available in the archives catalogue or in a viewer linked with the archives catalogue. So far, the following holdings have been made available: Resultat list

You will find instructions on downloading digital copies from the catalogue and the viewer here.

A native of Basel, Felix Platter (1536–1614) was among the leading doctors and scientists of his era and was a passionate collector. The centrepiece of his impressive collection of natural history specimens and curiosities was his collection of dried plants and of botanical illustrations. Of Platter’s extensive plant collection, eight volumes containing pressed plants and illustrations and one volume solely of illustrations still exist today. This collection, which includes specimens dating back to 1552, is one of the oldest preserved herbaria in the world and is kept at the Burgerbibliothek. For conservation reasons, the herbarium can only be viewed online.

E-codices, the virtual manuscript library, offers access to digitised manuscripts from archives, libraries, monasteries, museums and private collections in Switzerland. Currently around 230 manuscripts and fragments of the Bongarsiana / Codices division may be viewed via e-codices.

Go to e-codices

Daguerreobase is a joint cataloguing programme for daguerreotypes and references photographs on silver-plated copper sheets from the period between ca. 1839 and ca. 1860. The Burgerbibliothek conserves an exceptionally large collection of daguerreotypes and is a member of this European network. Its daguerreotypes are accessible online both via the archives catalogue and via Daguerreobase.

Go to Daguerrobase

Memobase is the national search portal of Memoriav, Switzerland’s centre of competence for the preservation of audio-visual cultural heritage. In cooperation with archives, libraries and museums from all the cantons and language regions of Switzerland, the online portal allows users to search through professionally archived photographs, films, sound and video recordings for education and research purposes and out of general interest. The Burgerbibliothek has also made photographs from its archives catalogue available on Memobase.

Go to Memobase