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Copyright of Publications of the English Goethe Society is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

AbstractLesbian voices and experiences have received little attention in Czech historiography: recent research has concentrated on the modern era from the 1950s. This article deepens our understanding of lesbian lives in interwar Prague. It focuses on two forgotten lesbian novels, Exiles of Love and The Third Sex, which were deliberately suppressed after 1948 by the Communist regime as examples of inferior bourgeois literature. The two authors, Lída Merlínová and Gill Sedláčková, both hailed from Prague’s cultural world (theatre and film) and were active too in the 1930s Czech movement for homosexual reform. Spanning the late twenties to the late thirties, the novels reveal tantalising glimpses of the evolving sub-culture of interwar Prague. Merlínová’s naïve novel of 1929, Exiles of Love, was the first Czech lesbian novel, and it betrayed the 1920s optimism of the ‘Czech New Woman’ who was prepared to challenge gender stereotypes. Sedláčková’s novel, The Third Sex, is a more explicit study from 1937, reflecting the more mature sub-culture but also a cynicism about the chances of homosexual reform. Yet it manages, even more than Exiles, to convey an uplifting and moral message. Indeed, both novels are about lesbian self-knowledge, exploring the scope for same-sex survival in a world where the best solution may be abroad, not in ‘provincial Prague’. In restoring these texts to lesbian literature we recover a range of voices, expressing the hopes and frustrations of some queer Czech women in an unusually liberal era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Film Quarterly / Kwartalnik Filmowy is the property of Kwartalnik Filmowy and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Dimensions of unintentionality: Jan Mukařovský — Julia Kristeva — Georges didi-Huberman. --- This article focuses on the concepts of intentionality and unintentionality introduced into the semiotics of the Prague Structural School by Jan Mukařovský. These terms are considered in the context of two other conceptual pairs: 1) the semiotic (lesémiotique) and the symbolic (le symbolique) by Julia Kristeva; and 2) the visual (le visuel) and the visible (le visible) by Georges Didi-Huberman. These concepts, created on the basis of French humanities, can be treated as a development on and complement to Mukařovský’s aesthetic theory.

The article deals with one chapter in the history of German Studies as a scholarly pursuit at the University of Prague. Specifically it attempts to describe the circumstances of the foundation of the Department of German Studies in 1874 and its development until 1882, when, after the division of the University of Prague, two autonomous Departments of German Studies, responsible for academic philological research into German, as one of the national languages and literatures in the Czech Lands, were established at the German and Czech Universities of Prague respectively. The establishment of the Department of German Studies meant the definitive institutionalization of German Studies at the University of Prague and at the same time the full integration of German Studies into the system of scholarly disciplines. Attention is also paid to the personalities of the founders — Johann Kelle and Ernst Martin — and their colleague Hans Lambel.

Giordano Bruno’s Articuli adversus mathematicos (Prague 1588) is an emblematic text for more than one reason: it contains a harsh critique of the astronomical measurement techniques in use at the time, but also a radical attack on the theoretical foundations of geometry itself, proposing a discrete notion of basic geometric objects such as the point, the line, the plane, and solid figures. Moreover, Bruno enriches the text with some important references to the art of memory, not only to make his argument easier to understand, but also to offer concrete mnemotechnical tools to help the reader perceive and remember the geometric constructions he proposes. In this sense, the three archetypal images are a unique attempt to construct graphic schematisations to illustrate and memorise (by means of a technical tool called sigillus) the main propositions of Euclidis Elements, as well as the particular theoretical approach that Bruno gives to his geometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Cold War, Prague was home to several international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) uniting member organizations of different fields (students, journalists, trade unions, communist parties, churches and others). This article aims at a reinterpretation of their history through the lens of decolonization, presenting the NGOs not only as soldiers in the Cold War but also as 'hubs of anti-colonialism'. It shows the role of the 'Third World' delegates in the NGOs and their positioning toward Czechoslovak state socialism. It explores the mechanisms of knowledge production and transfers through media and training programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The city, with its social, cultural, physical, and geographical features, can be represented narratively on the axis of interpretations and fictions of reality or imagination. The ethnographic codes of city narratives are physical, structural, and social. They represent the city in various ways and contribute to knowledge in architecture. The research question of this article is, 'Could architecture be reinterpreted through ethnographic narratives of the city?' This question points to a vibrant field of study that investigates the importance and originality of the article and the spatial dimensions of literature. The article addresses a more nuanced perspective on relationships between travel writing and ethnography from a literary approach to narrative analysis and architecture. The article analyses the architectural elements in a literary narrative through qualitative research. It aims to ethnographically examine the story of Prag'da Günler, which emphasizes a European city. Karen O'Reilly's ethnographic method is used for the ethnographic analysis of this story. The ethnographic approach also aims at a certain understanding and appreciation of the spatial dimensions of the literature in the case of Nedim Gürsel. As a result, seeing the city as a writing activity at the intersection of architecture and narrative makes the potential of narratives viable in the reproduction of the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Builder (1896-0642) is the property of PWB MEDIA Zdzieblowski sp.j. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The report presents the national specific of the Secession style in the colourful ceramic decoration of some buildings in Sofia. The most representative between them are the church of St “Nikolay Novi Sofiiski”, buildings of the Synodal Palace, the Central Mineral Baths, and the Higher Theological School at the Holy Synod, built and decorated between 1900 and 1922. They are the works of the architects Friedrich Grünanger, Yurdan Milanov and Petko Momchilov. The accent of the research is the ceramic decoration of the facades of the Central Mineral Baths in Sofia, by the project of Haralampi Tachev. The details of the types of ornaments are presented and analysed. The graphic designs for the restoration of the missing elements were considered. The impact of colour in the design of the facades is analysed. The peculiarities in the decoration and the connection of this style with the medieval elements, were examined. The connection of the facade solutions with the Bulgarian historical traditions of the early Middle Ages and Byzantium is explained through examples from Preslav, the capital of the First Bulgarian Kingdom. This way the coloured ceramic tiles of the facades of the Central Mineral Baths are represented as an expression of the Bulgarian medieval tradition in the Secession style in Sofia. The colour facade interpretations of the buildings in Vienna, Paris and Prague of that period are presented for comparison and demonstration of the national differences, decisions and tasks of the Secession style.

Anyone who traces their Jewish ancestors back to the 18th century and even further back in history encounters the challenge of looking for ancestry without the clue that a fixed family name provides. Before the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century, when Jews were forced by law to adopt a fixed family name, Ashkenazim Jewish families used patronymic names as last names. A patronymic name changes every generation. Sometimes, in larger cities, various types of nicknames were used as last names. Such a nickname could change within a generation and often indicated the place a person came from, his occupation, or personal characteristics. In this article, I will show, using three case studies, how I have faced the challenge of determining which patronymic names and nicknames my ancestors used as last names before they were forced to adopt a fixed family name. The three case studies are the ancestors of Josef Stern, who lived in the late 18th and early 19th century in Neu Bistritz in southern Bohemia, today Nova Bystrice in Czechia; Julius Strauss, 1883–1939, who lived in the late 18th, 19th, and early 20th century in Frücht and Giessen in Nassau/Hesse, today in southern Germany; and Simon Reiniger, who lived in Prague in the 18th and early 19th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in the Education of Bohemian Jews during the Reign of Joseph II. The decade of Joseph II’s reign was crucial for Jewish history in the Habsburg monarchy. For the first time, in the context of the growing Enlightenment-absolutist tendencies of the state and changing attitudes towards members of non-Catholic Christian denominations, the Jewish issue became an important part of state policy, and the monarch did not hesitate to intervene in almost all spheres of Jewish life during his reign. He sought to gain greater control over this minority, distinct in both religion and language, to bring it closer to the life of the majority society and make it more useful to the state. The key area through which he intended to promote these aims was Jewish education. All of this was closely related to the Enlightenment-absolutist state’s efforts to comprehensively reform the monarchy’s educational system, the aim of which was to provide education under state supervision for broad sections of the population, thus helping to “elevate them morally” and turn them into useful citizens of the state. However, since Jewish education in its traditional form played a crucial role in the process of preserving Jewish identity, most Czech Jews viewed the changes that Joseph II brought about in this area with apprehension and distrust. The importance of education for the Jewish community was understood by all concerned – the monarch, the highest central and provincial authorities, the Jewish enlighteners who supported state policy – but resisted by their opponents within the Jewish community, that is to say ad- herents of the rabbinic tradition, which led to a number of clashes related to these developments. This article first outlines the forms of Jewish education in Bohemia in the second half of the 18th century, then discusses the efforts of the Josephine state to transform them and enforce compulsory secular education for Jews in the context of the Habsburg monarchy. Finally, it sheds light on the various Jewish reactions to these developments and reflects on the outcome of events in this field.

The article will focus on a critical re-evaluation of approaches to the city in the period of late normalization; especially on the new ethos that took place in the professional community as a result of postmodern ideas coming from Western Europe, but also thanks to the extremely negative experience of the highly modernist industrialization of architecture, abused by the socialist regime. The core of the text will compare the three areas of the normalization city – housing estates, core and historic districts. At the housing estate it is going to describe efforts to introduce city-forming features in the parameters of newly established public spaces, their equipment and requirements for public buildings. In the case of historic cores, intentions were primarily related to rehabilitation of the city’s main streets and squares or to fill inappropriate empty plots. And in connection with the historic (industrial) districts, the text will describe the program of modernization of apartment buildings from 19th and early 20th century. The text is based on a research project – Architecture of the Eighties – completed last year.

This article intends to carry out a comparative analysis between the nouvelles Nadie muere del todo en Praga (2002) by Susana Tampieri and El hijo judío (2018) by Daniel Guebel with the purpose of investigating whether their respective constructions on the Prague author and the ideas related to his work can reflect eventual changes in the reception of the figure of Franz Kafka in Argentina.

Understanding the complex contributions of several factors to an urban heat island is crucial for assessing the impacts of planning on the thermal conditions within cities. It is relatively well-known how the different factors work separately, but how they work together, especially near water bodies, is still unclear. This paper investigates the effects of blue bodies (rivers or large lakes), the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), building coverage (BC), and building height (BH) on the land surface temperature (LST), comparing the situation around lakes and a river. Their inter-relationships are explored in a square grid of 30 × 30 m using Landsat-8 data on LST measurements in Prague, Czech Republic, in summer 2022. Multiple regression models are used for the analysis. The results imply that the NDVI significantly reduces LSTs, followed rivers if within 200 m of one, while the effect of lakes is negligible. The effect of BH is low. BC is a predominant factor in the city, generating a warming effect, which increases with the city's compactness. The main planning implications are to base urban heat island mitigation strategies on compensating for building coverage with live and dense green bodies, promoting vertical development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with one chapter in the history of German Studies as a scholarly pursuit at the University of Prague. Specifically it attempts to describe the circumstances of the foundation of the Department of German Studies in 1874 and its development until 1882, when, after the division of the University of Prague, two autonomous Departments of German Studies, responsible for academic philological research into German, as one of the national languages and literatures in the Czech Lands, were established at the German and Czech Universities of Prague respectively. The establishment of the Department of German Studies meant the definitive institutionalization of German Studies at the University of Prague and at the same time the full integration of German Studies into the system of scholarly disciplines. Attention is also paid to the personalities of the founders -- Johann Kelle and Ernst Martin -- and their colleague Hans Lambel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on analysis of autopsy protocols from the Czech capital Prague between 1918 and 1968. The protocols were produced by the staff of institutes of forensic pathology (before 1939 there were two such institutes, later only one). Surviving collection of protocols from that period consists of 59 413 items, which likely represent a complete set of postmortem examination done in Prague. This paper will focus on protocols related to traffic accidents which will be analysed according to several categories including gender, religion, age, type of vehicle involved etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a short time in the mid-1930s, Prague turned into the hub of discussions about the role of psychology in history. Far from being a mere methodological debate, the question why masses act against their conscious interests was seen as a central point of this endeavor. The issue intrigued not only the left-leaning Czechoslovak historians who formed the Historická skupina (the Historical Group) and were influenced by similar attempts in Germany, namely by the Institut für Sozialforschung in Frankfurt am Main, but also psychoanalysts in exile, like Otto Fenichel, who conducted inquiries in a similar vein, all the more as the menace of German fascism grew stronger. The paper sketches the contacts between different groups and presents the main results of their deliberations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Lublin Studies in Modern Languages & Literature / Lubelskie Materialy Neofilologiczne is the property of Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, Department of German & Applied Linguistics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Recently, post-socialist inner cities have been transforming through various processes of revitalisation and gentrification. The resulting physical and social contrasts of neighbouring localities lead to the spatial fragmentation of inner-city areas that may produce variegated effects on the everyday life of local residents. This paper examines how long-term residents of an inner-city neighbourhood in Prague undergoing residential and commercial gentrification have perceived and lived through its change. Specifically, it reveals how the ongoing changes influence residents' place attachment. The paper relies upon qualitative methodology using semi-structured in-depth interviews with long-term inhabitants (>20 years). Empirical findings point to a strong and stable place attachment, despite ambivalent attitudes towards recent changes related to gentrification. The effect of gentrification on place attachment appears to be relatively limited. Many residents acknowledge that gentrification has reversed the deterioration that characterised the neighbourhood in the past. Moreover, negatively perceived changes to the neighbourhood are often not attributed primarily to the gentrification process but understood as a natural part of residents' own ageing, wider societal changes, and historical development of the neighbourhood. The article highlights the need to investigate the personal, spatial and temporal contexts to comprehend the complex effects of gentrification on long-term residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Historia Ecclesiastica is the property of Vydavatelstvo Presovskej Univerzity and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Gentrification is a complex process taking place in major cities around the world. This process varies from city to city and it is influenced by the specific conditions of each country. Both positive and negative impacts of gentrification can affect a city’s resilience. The aim of this paper is to assess and verify how residential and commercial gentrification is taking place in two selected locations of the municipal district Holešovice in the City of Prague. Both locations are attractive due to their proximity to the city centre. The paper focuses on two aspects of gentrification, i.e., the outcomes of demographic changes and its physical dimension, assessed by the visual complexity of building appearance. The results show the relationship and temporal continuity of residential and commercial gentrification. With its findings, the paper contributes to the knowledge base of urban studies following the identified growing need for commercial facilities in urban districts as a result of demographic changes.

The article undertakes a historical-linguistic analysis of 27 documents written in German that are classified as “notes of hand” and issued by the Bohemian Chamber between 1528 and 1537. After a brief introduction to the history of historical-linguistic research into documents in German issued by the offices in Prague in the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period, the article analyses the initial archive material from the perspective of (historical) text linguistics. Finally, it focuses on the difference between the text structure of one original draft and its register from 21 March 1530.

The advent of the printing press proved to be a decisive factor in the cultural development of mankind as a whole. In Eastern Europe, the complex path to the new information technology had its own specific characteristics: revolutionary technology was first used for the needs of East Slavs in 1517–1519 in the Czech kingdom and from there it was transferred to Grand Duchy of Lithuania in 1521–1522. The process of developing the printed word is linked to the figure of Francis Skorina (1470–1551), who, after the Congress of Vienna, was given the opportunity to become a book publisher in Prague. The focus of the proposed study is a corpus of Cyrillic printed monuments, which together tell an entertaining story of equal cultural and technological cooperation in the first quarter of the 16th century. In the context of mastering and adapting the latest technology, it is noteworthy that the Cyrillic Prague editions are characterized by exceptionally high polygraphy quality, which exceeds the level of Czech printing of the first half of the 16th century. Therefore, they are nowadays regarded not only as valuable works of East Slavic cultural heritage but also as outstanding monuments of Czech printing (významné bohemikální památky). From the perspective of encompassing philology (celostní filologie), from a modern methodological base and a new phase in the development of Prague functional structuralism, the article raises the question of how many of these printed monuments intended for the East Slavic reader were published in Prague at that time.

The historiography of the fine arts museum in Europe is a narrative that has mostly followed the arc of the developing nation-state after the French Revolution. This approach has often focused on the emergence of the public museum as part of an ‘exhibitionary complex’ that helped to shape an ‘imagined community’ of patriotic citizens during the long nineteenth century. For the most part these nationally-based perspectives have been extremely productive, but they cannot do justice to many of the museums that emerged in the Austro-Hungarian Empire before its collapse. Indeed, the three authors of this excellent volume remind us that many of the ‘national’ fine arts museums of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire took shape well before the outbreak of war in 1914 and only took on their official status as representatives of their specific ‘nations’ in the years after 1918. Thus, the historiography of museums in central Europe needs a more nuanced approach. As the volume’s editor and contributor Matthew Rampley writes, ‘current state boundaries are not a meaningful framework for the study of museums in Habsburg Central Europe.’ This volume both suggests and models that new framework. To make their point the authors use several, more complicated (social, trans-national, and local) approaches to demonstrate how museums in the Empire’s important cities (Lemberg, Prague, Budapest, Cracow, and Zagreb) emerged from a complex set of Imperial, local and, as the century progressed, civic and nationalist ambitions. Together the authors unanimously argue in favor of viewing Austria-Hungary as a ‘shared cultural space’ with complex interactions that formed a web of relationships across the many nationalities of the Empire—a web that remains invisible to the post-1945 observer. This invitation to complexity is both convincing and compelling and it opens a broad field of new research possibilities. Well-written and exquisitely researched, the volume also inadvertently highlights one of the greatest challenges to future scholars: fluency in the local languages. We are grateful to these authors to have given us this volume in English. Insofar as it models several museological approaches, it can be useful to any scholar who is interested in the historiography of museums in Europe’s long nineteenth century.

This paper focuses on cycling transport in the capital city of the Czech Republic – Prague. Main goal of the paper is to find out whether available measures for cycling transport support are taken there. The authors focus on the infrastructure dedicated for cyclists in Prague and they primarily focus on the safety of the users. Potentially dangerous and/or not comfortable examples are included as well.

The COVID-19 epidemic affected all industries, but the hospitality sector was hardest hit as governments used social distancing to prevent outbreaks. Based on the insights of relationship theory, before social distancing became an essential behaviour spread globally, this study attempts to understand what factors influence love for Airbnb brand, how they are linked together, and how love for Airbnb brand could be beneficial to local business/market. This research focussed on 9 in-depth interviews with Airbnb hosts and 3 focus groups with 13 experts from short-term rentals companies in Prague (22 participants). The outcome of this study provides insights on love towards Airbnb brand, and based on this, it set a start point for deeper, beneficial connectivity between Airbnb users and local community. This research contributes to the expansion of literature about love towards Airbnb brand, its dimensions, and its main outcome. This study suggests that brand identity, communication and branding activities, service attractiveness, guest experience, perceived cultural value, satisfaction and reputation are dimensions of love towards Airbnb brand and have as main outcome love towards local community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the late 1990s in the Czech Republic, rural carnival celebrations in urban environments have become a phenomenon through which to experience and gain knowledge of cultural patterns associated with the pre-industrial period. This article explores some of the key elements that make carnival tradition an ideal resource for reimagining festivities in the modern era. The study also highlights the ways communication takes place within the public space and the sharing of common ideas through non-verbal means, which significantly strengthening society’s capacity for social resilience. The article focuses on carnivals held since the 2014 in Prague and its surroundings, examining how their contemporary manifestations are a tool for individual districts to make certain groups of inhabitants and their visions more visible. Based on long-term qualitative research on these events, the paper analyses the process of ‘carnivalisation’ and ‘communitisation’ in recent times and reflects on the role of collective memory in constructing the form of today’s carnivals. The main question asked is what kind of event these newly rethought carnivals represent. Carnival is perceived here as a politicised process of community building, lifestyle narration, and/or social protest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bohemistyka is the property of Instytut Filologii Slowianskiej Uniwersytetu im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The main trip of the Salvadoran writer Roque Dalton to Eastern Europe took place in 1966 and was destined for Prague. That experience was captured in the collection of poems Taberna y otros lugares (1969). The volume analyzed as constitutes a testimony of imagination about Prague and about the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in the socio-political context of the Cold War. The book is part of the so-called "world communist literature", but it nevertheless adopts a critical and desacralizing perspective within this literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the example of the statue of St John of Nepomuk outside Saint John the Baptist Church (Na Prádle) in Prague's Lesser Town, the author presents a reflection on the wide range of ideas upon which the narrative of a historical monument located in the city's landscape depends on. This sculpture is especially admired as an example of Baroque art. The location of this statue in front of Saint John the Baptist Church is one of the factors that creates the impression of a picturesque and visually attractive spot. At the same time, however, this statue is known to have been originally located on the opposite shore of the Vltava River. Until the beginning of the 20th century, it was part of a religious cult, and its presence in the Cattle Market (now Charles Square) was seen as part of a greater pilgrimage site in which St John of Nepomuk was revered. By studying sources and literature, the author gradually uncovers layers of meanings intertwined with this particular work. At the same time, the author reflects on the possible consequences of transferring (not only) religious monuments from their original locations, especially with regard to the city's memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is to determine how fast the HSR connection in conjunction with public transport between Brno and Prague should be in order to be time-competitive with car use. Brno and Prague are the largest agglomerations in Czechia and, according to the Czech government’s plan, the first HSR will be built between them. The competitive speed of high-speed trains is derived from mathematical accessibility models created in GIS. The route planner in Google Maps and control supplementary sources were used as a source of data on the speed of public transport connections and the travel time of cars. The effect of a possible relocation of the main Brno railway station is also considered. The derived optimal competitive speed is slightly higher than the current plans assume.

This article intends to carry out a comparative analysis between the nouvelles Nadie muere del todo en Praga (2002) by Susana Tampieri and El hijo judío (2018) by Daniel Guebel with the purpose of investigating whether their respective constructions on the Prague author and the ideas related to his work can reflect eventual changes in the reception of the figure of Franz Kafka in Argentina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Exposure to pathogens in public transport systems is a common means of spreading infection, mainly by inhaling aerosol or droplets from infected individuals. Such particles also contaminate surfaces, creating a potential surface-transmission pathway. Methods A fast acoustic biosensor with an antifouling nano-coating was introduced to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on exposed surfaces in the Prague Public Transport System. Samples were measured directly without pre-treatment. Results with the sensor gave excellent agreement with parallel quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) measurements on 482 surface samples taken from actively used trams, buses, metro trains and platforms between 7 and 9 April 2021, in the middle of the lineage Alpha SARS-CoV-2 epidemic wave when 1 in 240 people were COVID-19 positive in Prague. Results Only ten of the 482 surface swabs produced positive results and none of them contained virus particles capable of replication, indicating that positive samples contained inactive virus particles and/or fragments. Measurements of the rate of decay of SARS-CoV-2 on frequently touched surface materials showed that the virus did not remain viable longer than 1–4 h. The rate of inactivation was the fastest on rubber handrails in metro escalators and the slowest on hard-plastic seats, window glasses and stainless-steel grab rails. As a result of this study, Prague Public Transport Systems revised their cleaning protocols and the lengths of parking times during the pandemic. Conclusions Our findings suggest that surface transmission played no or negligible role in spreading SARS-CoV-2 in Prague. The results also demonstrate the potential of the new biosensor to serve as a complementary screening tool in epidemic monitoring and prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first codification of church law in the territory of the historically Czech lands, known as the provincial statutes of Ernst of Pardubice (Statuta provinicialia Arnesti), was issued in 1349, with validity for the entire Prague archdiocese. The Statute applied not only to the clerical and lay population, but also to Jews, for whom special rules and restrictions applied. The regulation of the legal and social life of the Jewish population is explicitly dealt with in three provisions (Articles 66-68), which mainly regulate the contact of Jews with Christians and their rights and obligations in public. Many of these prohibitions and regulations are based on papal decrees approved by the ecumenical councils, the text of which was reflected in the Decretals of Gregory IX and subsequently in the Mainz Statutes of Peter of Aspelt of 1310. The roots of these restrictions, however, in most cases go back to antiquity. This concerns, for example, the prohibition on hiring Christian nurses, midwives and servants; Jews were also not allowed to participate in public life, to build new synagogues or to improve existing ones. These measures were introduced by the Roman Emperor Theodosius II as part of the gradual process of Christianization of the Eastern Roman Empire. Although the legal provisions of the provincial statutes of Ernst of Pardubice imposed many restrictions on the Jews, this fact, on the other hand, was to some extent counterbalanced by protective provisions that prohibited laymen and Christian clergy from disturbing Jewish religious rites, destroying their graves, and arbitrarily punishing them without the existence of a relevant legal title. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decade of Joseph II’s reign was crucial for Jewish history in the Habsburg monarchy. For the first time, in the context of the growing Enlightenment-absolutist tendencies of the state and changing attitudes towards members of non-Catholic Christian denominations, the Jewish issue became an important part of state policy, and the monarch did not hesitate to intervene in almost all spheres of Jewish life during his reign. He sought to gain greater control over this minority, distinct in both religion and language, to bring it closer to the life of the majority society and make it more useful to the state. The key area through which he intended to promote these aims was Jewish education. All of this was closely related to the Enlightenment-absolutist state’s efforts to comprehensively reform the monarchy’s educational system, the aim of which was to provide education under state supervision for broad sections of the population, thus helping to “elevate them morally” and turn them into useful citizens of the state. However, since Jewish education in its traditional form played a crucial role in the process of preserving Jewish identity, most Czech Jews viewed the changes that Joseph II brought about in this area with apprehension and distrust. The importance of education for the Jewish community was understood by all concerned – the monarch, the highest central and provincial authorities, the Jewish enlighteners who supported state policy – but resisted by their opponents within the Jewish community, that is to say adherents of the rabbinic tradition, which led to a number of clashes related to these developments. This article first outlines the forms of Jewish education in Bohemia in the second half of the 18th century, then discusses the efforts of the Josephine state to transform them and enforce compulsory secular education for Jews in the context of the Habsburg monarchy. Finally, it sheds light on the various Jewish reactions to these developments and reflects on the outcome of events in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article undertakes a historical-linguistic analysis of 27 documents written in German that are classified as "notes of hand" and issued by the Bohemian Chamber between 1528 and 1537. After a brief introduction to the history of historical-linguistic research into documents in German issued by the offices in Prague in the Late Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period, the article analyses the initial archive material from the perspective of (historical) text linguistics. Finally, it focuses on the difference between the text structure of one original draft and its register from 21 March 1530. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research dedicated to the originators of written newspapers indicates that during the reign of the Emperor Matthias there was a certain decline in Prague news reporting. Numerous correspondents, including the important Saxon agent Jan Zeidler, followed the monarch to Vienna in 1612 and 1613. Only Gabriel Püchler was demonstrably still active in Prague, using a network of capable assistants to produce and distribute his newspaper, and it was from their ranks that competition began to take shape in 1618, when the demand for news from the capital of the Kingdom of Bohemia increased with the beginning of the Bohemian Revolt. In particular Matyáš Florian (Matthias Florian) took advantage of this extraordinary opportunity. In addition to other potential customers of the newspaper, in the autumn of 1618 he specifically contacted the court of the Elector of Saxony, John George I, in Dresden. He could not compete with the established journalistic workshop of his former employer Gabriel Püchler in finding out the contents of the confidential letters of military commanders or directors, but he offered an insider’s account of everything that happened and was talked about in the streets of Prague. The Elector of Saxony finally ordered Florian’s reports through his secret councils. Matyáš Florian’s newspaper therefore began to supplement the information sent to John George I by Gabriel Püchler and also by the Saxon agent Fridrich Lebzelter, based in Prague. These three personalities were supposed to work together, but at the beginning of 1620 a conflict arose between them, which showed a lot about mutual relations between the correspondents and their modes of communication with influential patrons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Czech Journal of Historical Heritage Preservation / Zpravy Pamatkove Pece is the property of Narodni Pamatkovy Ustav and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Gentrification is a complex process taking place in major cities around the world. This process varies from city to city and it is influenced by the specific conditions of each country. Both positive and negative impacts of gentrification can affect a city’s resilience. The aim of this paper is to assess and verify how residential and commercial gentrification is taking place in two selected locations of the municipal district Holešovice in the City of Prague. Both locations are attractive due to their proximity to the city centre. The paper focuses on two aspects of gentrification, i.e., the outcomes of demographic changes and its physical dimension, assessed by the visual complexity of building appearance. The results show the relationship and temporal continuity of residential and commercial gentrification. With its findings, the paper contributes to the knowledge base of urban studies following the identified growing need for commercial facilities in urban districts as a result of demographic changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Staleta Praha is the property of Narodni Pamatkovy Ustav and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Staleta Praha is the property of Narodni Pamatkovy Ustav and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Staleta Praha is the property of Narodni Pamatkovy Ustav and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Staleta Praha is the property of Narodni Pamatkovy Ustav and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Staleta Praha is the property of Narodni Pamatkovy Ustav and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Průzkumy Památek is the property of Narodni Pamatkovy Ustav and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)