RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
A1 Rosolová, Iveta
T1 A Comparison of the Establishment and the Development of the National Museum in Munich and Prague in the 19th Century
JF Historica Olomucensia
YR 2014
VO 47
IS 2
SP 75
OP 89
UL https://historica.upol.cz/artkey/hol-201402-0004.php
AB The prime concern of the paper is a comparison of the development of the Bavarian National Museum in Munich and the Prague National Museum especially in the second half of the 19th century. Although both institutes bear the adjective "national" in their titles, an establishment, a purpose, a content, a placement of collections, a state support etc. are not identical. The Bavarian National Museum founded in 1854 represents a national museum predominantly of a western type. Apart from the development of national ideas, a preservation of culturally-historical sights and didactical activities, its existence ought to support political interests of the House of Witellsbach, declare the existence of the Bavarian state and a certain degree of independence. On the other hand, there is the National Museum in Prague, which waited for its adjective "national" in the name of the institute for 100 years, but despite this, it served as a centre of national ideas of a stateless nation. The National Museum in Prague was established as a land natural science-oriented museum that gradually turned towards an effort to support national interests, history and sights thanks to František Palacký, which reached a peak in the revolution in 1848. In years of the Bach's absolutism, the Police Presidium in Prague perceived the museum as a centre of the Czech national movement and in 1854 ordered a change of the name to the neutral one "The Museum of the Bohemian Kingdom". Moreover, the new title ironically came into use in time when the Bavarian Museum was founded. The name ought to signify a land character. In spite of this, an effort to contribute to the development of the national identity as a support for pressing political and national rights survived in the National Museum also in the second half of the 19th century.