In Brno there live about 500 Bulgarians, in most cases university-educated specialists, descendants of gardeners and students. Even though they do not acknowledge Bulgarian nationality, they speak Bulgarian and they maintain contacts among themeselves and with relatives in Bulgaria. Ethnic identity is being preserved in privacy. Czech majority considers them Czechs, only friends and colleagues know their ethnic origin. Seasonal migrations of gardeners reached peak in the 1930s, when the Bulgarian minority in Brno constituted the most numerous community in Bohemia. Through the contacts with Bulgarians, Czechs constructed the image of modest, hard-working, efficient Bulgarian workers and professionals. Bulgarians were respected and welcomed. They represented the most emancipated sector of Bulgarian population. They contributed to their home country as well as to Europe, they constituted part of European cultural history. Czech majority nowadays had already forgotten their activities and their results accepts as regular part of their life. Ignored is the educational contribution of Bulgarian graduates of technical institute and medical faculty in Brno. The incorporation of Bulgarian minority in Brno proceeded throughout generations, from acceptation of Czech particularities through gradual integration into uncompleted assimilation with certain manifestations of ethnic and cultural identity. The authors applied the method of guided interview during their field researches, they utilized archival sources and long-term personal acquaintance with Brno and Bulgaria.
This contribution looks into the printing house of the Neumann family, which operated in Mikulov and Brno between 1768 and the beginning of the 19th century. It draws on the study of archival sources and compares them with the existing literature on this printing workshop. It focuses on the circumstances under which the printing house was founded, as well as its owners and employees. The printing production is described in terms of languages, genres, and themes. Furthermore, it explores the circle of clients and publishers for whom the printing house worked. The analysis shows that the Neumann printing house was a small-scale, local shop which operated mainly on a commercial basis for a diverse clientele.
Incunables from the Konrad Stahel’s and Matthias Preinlein’s printing press located in Brno, have survived, with a couple exceptions, in a few, or single unique copies. Each new item that can enlarge our source base is therefore of a great importance for further research. This applies to the incunabulum, Psalterium Olomucense, from 1499, preserved in four specimens known to date. As research has so far been limited to mainly bibliographical recording, little do we know about their origin and readership. The focal point of this study is another extant copy of this edition, stored in the Municipal Museum in Velká Bíteš. Although it has been located there since the end of the 19th century, it has escaped the attention of researchers. This copy contains a number of commemorative records from the first half of the 16th century, which give an account of the religious life in the town of Velká Bíteš. The study offers transcriptions and interpretation of these records, paying attention to other secondary marks – drawings and readers’ notes. The study is not only a research report; it also compares the newly discovered copy with hitherto known specimens, providing bibliographical descriptions, investigating their provenance, and analysing readers’ marks. In addition to the Psalterium, the article mentions other liturgical books from Velká Bíteš (a printed missal and a manuscript gradual), which also contain commemorative records dating back to the middle of the 17th century. Among other findings besides adding a new bibliographical record of a domestic incunable, the study reveals various ways of using psalters published by Stahel’s and Preinlein’s press in Brno. Some people used psalters for purely religious purposes, while others sought to capture events of various types (family, religious, political, military, and economic ones). A thorough analysis of these publications can therefore bring interesting information for not only librarians, but also regional historians. The description of the newly discovered specimen of books printed before the 16th century can also inspire future research in various archives, libraries, museum collections, and depositories, which may lead to identification of other unique copies.
This contribution looks into the printing house of the Neumann family, which operated in Mikulov and Brno between 1768 and the beginning of the 19th century. It draws on the study of archival sources and compares them with the existing literature on this printing workshop. It focuses on the circumstances under which the printing house was founded, as well as its owners and employees. The printing production is described in terms of languages, genres, and themes. Furthermore, it explores the circle of clients and publishers for whom the printing house worked. The analysis shows that the Neumann printing house was a small-scale, local shop which operated mainly on a commercial basis for a diverse clientele.