In the Museum of Literature and Music in Banská Bystrica, there is a rare library of the evangelical vicar Samuel Kollár from Čerenčany. It contains more than 800 books that need to be restored to serve the communities in terms of education and experience. It was saved from total decay by a random finder, who transported it to the Faculty of Education in Banská Bystrica, where after some years, it continued its path to the Museum of Literature and Music unremarked. Here it was properly processed and registered and awaits its physical restoration as a rare European cultural heritage, to be available for the public.

This unique fund was collected by the 18th century scholar Samuel Kollár. He was from Slovakia (14 January 1769) and he studied in many European cities, like Halle and Wittenberg, where he studied theology. He was a professor and rector of the Gymnasium in Ožďany, later an evangelical vicar in Čerenčany. As a member of the Learned Malohont Society he contributed to the almanac Solennia Bibliothecae Kis-Honthanae with studies of history, geography and folklore. During his life he constantly educated himself and dedicated himself to writing and collecting. He started to build his library as soon he was a student. He acquired books through gifts, exchange and purchase from individuals or in auctions. After his death (8 August 1831) it was stored in the tower of the evangelical church in Čerenčany for unknown reasons. The library contains items from the 16th to 19th century. Books and magazines are in Latin, German, Czech, Slovak and other languages. Thematically they belong to the fields of literature, philosophy, history, geography, natural sciences, economy and linguistics as well. Single copies, as well as whole collections of volumes of German ecclesiastical magazines from the 19th century and the magazine Czech Museum are also a part of the collection. Remarkable is the two volume edition of the publication Kochání s Bohem from Kryštof Sturm, translated by Ondrej Plachý and printed by Tumler in Banská Bystrica (1790), issue of the book Augsburské konfesy by Bohuslav Tablic, printed in Vacov (1806), or issues of books in Budín and others. Particularly valuable are three first edition volumes of the Kralická Bible or prints from the 16th century, whose authors are famous personalities like the Dutch thinker Erasmus Desiderius of Rotterdam (Basle, 1522). Their works make up the basis of Renaissance and Humanism (from notable reformatory works, important historical publications to translations of ancient literature). The works were released mostly in Germany and Switzerland, many of them are singular in Slovakia and are only contained in the collection of Samuel Kollár.

The value of the library is its testimony of culturalism of its founder, Samuel Kollár, who kept his curiosity and desire for information alive during his whole life and never stopped learning - even after he finished his studies in many European cities like Halle and Wittenberg. We admire this passion and believe that education and awareness of one´s own history, as well as history of people and nations around him/her can open minds and help spread tolerance and inter-cultural respect across the whole Europe. Library of Samuel Kollár has great potential in spreading information, as well as in keeping precious and often one-of-a-kind books in proper state and ready to be presented to public. Therefore we feel the obligation to maintain it through restoration and make it available for everyone.