Important book contribution to the history of Prague published
An important work on the history of Prague has been recently published with the contribution of the MIA CAS. The publication The First in the Village. Burgomasters and Mayors of Prague 1784–1989 (in Czech První v obci. Purkmistři, starostové a primátoři města Prahy 1784–1989) edited by Jana Konvičná and Martina Maříková from the Prague City Archives provides basic biographical information about the now often unjustly forgotten personalities who led the Prague community from the founding of unified Prague (1784) to the fall of communism (1989). A collective of 27 authors, including Jan Hálek, Martin Klečacký, Boris Mosković and Luboš Velek from MIA CAS, has subjected the topic to new source research, which has resulted in a number of new findings.
The book is divided into three parts. The first contains an introductory study and inventories of the mayors of Prague's Old Town, Prague's New Town and Prague's Lesser Town (Malá Strana) from 1537/1547 to 1784. The core of the publication consists of 38 biographies of the "first men" of the Prague community; it concludes with an editorial note and the necessary scientific apparatus: an index of names, a list of sources and literature used, a list of illustrations and a list of abbreviations.
The introductory study From the First Among the Constables to the Mayor summarises the main milestones in the development of Prague's municipal administration and self-government and the transformation of the role and position of the office of the burgomaster/mayor as the head of Prague's municipality and municipality. The reader will find information not only about when the traditional term burgomaster was replaced by the term mayor (in Czech two different words, one for smaller towns, one for large ones), but also what criteria had to be met by the persons who applied for this position, or how their competences changed over time. While at the beginning of the period under review it was a civil servant appointed by the authorities, from the mid-1850s onwards political groups, and later political parties, gradually interfered significantly in their selection and the running of the town hall. The circle symbolically closed after 1948, when mayors "ran" Prague City Hall at the will of the Communist Party, which decided on almost everything.
The fate of the first men of the Czech capital is traced in 38 biographies, accompanied by their official portrait and signature. These are comprehensive studies which, in addition to the basic biographical data of Prague's burgomasters/mayors, also provide an analysis of their activities during the time when they were at the head of the Czech capital. The author's team has tried to place their work at the Prague City Hall in the context of the history of Prague administration and self-government and the history of Prague in general. The main focus is on the areas in which the individual burgomasters/mayors intervened and on answering the question of how and to what extent their actions influenced the development of the city. The medallions trace their active or passive approach to the problems that the Prague municipality had to deal with, their involvement in specific issues concerning the running of the office and the development of the city, and, from the second half of the 19th century, when political parties began to assert themselves in local government, their political and social involvement and its influence on the performance of the office of burgomaster/mayor. At the same time, the reader is provided with information about the projects that the Prague municipality implemented during the period, either independently or in cooperation with state authorities.
For excerpts and more information about the book (in Czech), see the AHMP website.
Translated by DeepL.
