There was considerable focus on local culture and heritage in the last quarter of the 19th century in the regions with a predominantly German Bohemians population. Regional identity was shaped to a significant extent by publications on local culture and heritage ("Heimatkunde"), often designed for teaching in schools. With the German-speaking population spread out around the periphery of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia, there was no obvious centre for formation of German Bohemians identity and for a long time there was no uniform character to that identity. It was then manifested most strongly in the various regions. This dissertation is based on analysis and comparison of Heimatkunde publications. I have defined categories for examination of Heimatkunde: landscape (geography), heritage (history), progress (modernity) and people (ethnography), which correspond to the original breakdown of Heimatkunde and are also considered relevant by authors looking at the development of national movements. Definition of group identity is dominated by nationalism, especially as regards the second half of the 19th century and the first third of the 20th century. The focus of this dissertation is comparison of Heimatkunde publications from three neighbouring areas in the Upper Neisse region, differing primarily...

Mgr. Magdalena Bystrzak The "Slovak Question" in Early Alexander Matuška's Works ABSTRACT The presented thesis deals with the issue of the "Slovak question" in early Alexander Matuška's works of 1930s. The author has in mind that A. Matuška's attitude towards the Slovak question was shaped by his contacts with the Czech intellectual elite during his studies at the Charles University in Prague (1928-1934). She comes out of an assumption that the "Slovak question" has mainly a cultural character in early A. Matuška's works. In the first part of the thesis, the author tries to show the character of the discourse on the "Slovak question" in 1930s. By researching debates on the "Slovak question" in representative cultural journals of the time, the author tries to point out that the "Slovak question" debate was not only about the emancipation of a the Slovak nation, but also about the modernization of the Slovak society. A. Matuška's early works are interpreted as a part of this effort. Both the second and the third parts are devoted to those aspects of A. Matuška's early works that the author considers as the critic's proposals for the modernization of the Slovak society. The second part is focused on his rejection of the romantic paradigm of the Slovak culture and on the A. Matuška's refusal of the then views...

The dissertation thesis deals with the life of the catholic priest, scientist in a discipline of the Christian sociology and a politics ThDr. Francis Reyl (1865-1935). Life stories, important positions which he held, his work and events that touched him, are presented in chronological order, as they occupied Reyl's life. The first part briefly outlines the historical situation of the Catholic Church in the Czech Republic and in Europe at the time of Reyl's life in the 19th and 20th centuries. The following section describes his fates from childhood through secondary school studies (including a stay in a church students' seminary Borromaeum) and the priests' seminary formation up to his ordination. The third part deals with Reyl's activities in the 19th and 20th centuries, when he was a director of the students' seminar Borromaeum and rector of the priests' seminary. In addition, he had published a lot and devoted himself to public life and established policy, which is included in this thesis also. The fourth and last part focuses on Reyl's fates and work during The First Czechoslovak Republic, when he was a senator in the National Assembly of the Czechoslovak Republic and devoted himself mainly to politics. The thesis is accompanied by a picture attachment and stenographic recordings of his speeches in the...

The thesis ‚Instruments of Employment Policy by Social Democratic Ministers Jaromír Nečas and Michaela Marksová-Tominová' deals with employment policy and joins recent and historici view on the topic. The thesis focuses on social democratic politician Jaromír Nečas, concerns on his views and the programme of the former Czechoslovak Social Democratic Workers' Party. It also aims on the present employment policy of the minister Michaela Marksová-Tominová and programme of recent ČSSD. The thesis compares instruments and means used to deal with unemployment by this ministers, it shows that both ministers had the same goals but sometimes different instruments: For exemple, public investition works disappeared but recvalification is much more used than efore.

The diploma thesis will focus on the exhibition activities of institutes of the Czechoslovakian Academy of Sciences (ČSAV) from the 1970s until nowadays exhibition activities of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (AV ČR). The institutes of the ČSAV were among a few places where unofficial and often also politically undesirable artists could exhibit their work. One of the main chapters in my thesis will deal with the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, in particular, where exhibitions in the entrance hall are still held until nowadays. Furthermore I will focus on architect of The Macromolecular institute and the artists whose work has been presented here, eg. V. Boštík, A. Šimotová, O. Zoubek etc., as well as the particular places serving as alternative galleries. The aim of my thesis will be also showing the function of those places in these days and investigating the overall public interest in the cultural activities of the AV ČR. Keywords Czechoslovakian Academy of Sciences (ČSAV), Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (AV ČR), Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Karel Prager, Makráč, Gallery 4P, Philosophical club, Alternative exhibition places, Prohibited art

Ceramic Sculpture in Prague Interwar Architecture This thesis project from the field of art history is dedicated to the use of ceramic sculpture in the architecture of the first Czechoslovak Republic. It puts an emphasis on so called "national style", which is defined theoretically in the first place and then explained in the context of the artistic development in Czechoslovakia and, more generally, the international art deco current. Separate chapters describe the role of Czech art schools and the significant personality and work of Helena Johnová. The scope of the research is limited to the monuments located in Prague, but it also takes into account important commissions situated outside the city, as well. A catalogue of ceramic sculpture associated with the Prague architecture of the concerned period forms part of the study. Keywords National Style, Ceramic Sculpture, Czechoslovakia, First Czechoslovak Republic, Helena Johnová, Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague Počet znaků (včetně mezer): 128 268

Verbal Expressions of Reverence for St. John of Nepomuk in Vilém Bitnar's Saint-John- Questionnaire The goal of this thesis is a description of verbal expressions of reverence (legends, songs, prayers etc.) for St. John of Nepomuk in the Czech lands, which were collected by Výbor svatojanský in the questionnaire edited by Vilém Bitnar. This questionnaire was sent out to Czech and Moravian parishes at the occasion of the 200th anniversary of canonization of St. John of Nepomuk in 1929 and now it is deposited in the Literary Archive of the Museum of Czech Literature in Bitnar's estate. The mutual points in the questionnaire are seeked as well as regional specifics. These are situated into context of trends in religious life in the Czech lands in 1920s in general and also of relationship between contemporary Czech society and the Roman Catholic Church with reverence for St. John of Nepomuk. Bitnar's questionnaire is also situated into context of other Bitnar's scientific and publication activities. Keywords Hagiography; hymnology; St. John of Nepomuk; Vilém Bitnar; religiousness; legend; religious song; First Czechoslovak Republic

After the First World War, the Catholic Church intensified its interest in a world that was becoming ever more secular and began to look for new means of actively and creatively taking part in cultural affairs. Cinematography was one of the areas in which this trend became most apparent. It was shortly after the invention of cinematograph that various ideas and plans regarding how to deal with film began to emerge among Catholics. Consequently, the Pope gave his blessing to community-based initiatives and included them in his plan in the encyclical Vigilanti Cura. This study seeks to familiarise the reader with a multifarious mixture of interesting, and often contradictory, voices and opinions that were heard from Czech Catholics with regard to film. Catholic activities in the field of film are divided into three basic areas: production, classification and distribution, with the first area concerning the effort to make their own Catholic films. This study demonstrates the problems faced in this endeavour by presenting the difficulties in the making of the film Saint Wenceslas and the consequent relationship of Catholics to the completed work. The classification of films from the Catholic point of view was carried out systematically and in a coordinated manner. The study deals with the origins of...

This thesis deals with the topic of the human rights movement in Ukraine and Czechoslovakia after signing the final act of the conference on security and cooperation in Europe in Helsinki 1975. The thesis is an attempt of a comparative analysis of these two human rights movements in the late 1970s, based on two concrete groups: Ukrainian Helsinki Group and Committee for the Defense of the Unjustly Prosecuted. The research focuses on the comparison of the social context for the dissent activity, the historical circumstances and the activities of the human rights groups. The thesis traces the main tendencies and topics in the activities of both groups. Particular attention is paid to the life stories of the actors of human rights movement and efforts to explore some common features in biographies of these personalities. Key words: Human rights; Helsinki movement; dissent; opposition; Soviet Union; Normalization; Czechoslovakia

Palach Press: Press and Literary Agency. The Exile Agency Study and the Comparation of the Presentation of the Affairs with the Official Mass Media in the Czechoslovakia. Abstract This thesis is a study about literary and press agency Palach Press. The agency was established by Jan Kavan and operated in London in 1970s and 1980s. Its main purpose was to provide information on Czechoslovakia to western journalists and Czech journalist in exile. There was a communication of the alternative public sphere because of a non-functional public sphere, where should be free exchange of opinions. There was a distribution channel of altered camping cars, attached to the Palach Press agency, used to smuggle literature and other materials to Czechoslovakia. Second part of the thesis is practical and focuses on the actual production of Palach Press agency and compares it with information provided by official media in Czechoslovakia, especially with the news published by Czechoslovak press agency. Content analysis is based on the criteria of objectivity.