The National and University Library (NUK) has managed to acquire a very rare translation by Primoz Trubar (1508-1586), the father of the Slovenian written language. It has recently bought an original of "Noviga testamenta pusledni dejl" (The Final Part of the New Testament) and unveiled it in Ljubljana on Monday.

Expressing great pleasure over the acquisition of this rare gem, NUK head Lenart Setinc and the head of the manuscripts section Mihael Glavan pointed to the intricate and difficult process of the acquisition.

The information that only four remaining originals have been previously known to exist in the world and that Croatia greatly aided Slovenia in getting a hint that a fifth exists in Jerusalem and that its owner was willing to sell it, was given by Slovenian Ambassador to Croatia Milan Orozen-Adamic.

Glavan pointed to a number of security and customs issues and jokingly reverted to "half-legal" procedures that were necessary to bring the book to Slovenia on 3 March.

The book was published in Germany's Tuebingen in 1577. While incomplete - 416 of the estimated 600 pages survived - the value of the book lies in Trubar's commentaries.

Slovenia paid EUR 20,000 for the book.

Source: STA