The two-volume academic history of the city of Olomouc is completed

Olomouc - The city of Olomouc has completed a guide to its history, which maps the history of the city from prehistory to the present day. This work was prepared over the past nine years mainly by experts from Palacký University and other institutions. According to historians, few cities in Central Europe have such an extensive guide to their history. The preparation of the academic history and the Small History of the city of Olomouc cost 7.2 million crowns, representatives of the city hall and the university told journalists today.
    The two-volume publication contains 1170 pages, with both volumes weighing a total of 5.5 kilograms. The dividing line between the first and second volumes is the middle of the 19th century, and the text officially extends to the year 2005, although it also includes data from later years. Historians focused not only on the history of the Czech portion of the population but also on the German and Jewish minorities. "This approach distinguishes the history from previous histories from the 1930s or 1970s. In addition to mapping historical events, readers will find histories of literature, culture, theater, architecture, and so on," said historian Ivo Barteček.
    About 60 experts participated in the preparation. In addition to academics from Palacký University, there were also museum workers, archivists, conservationists, and archaeologists.
    The city council decided to create the academic history in 2000. The work was supposed to be completed by 2007, but the completion was delayed several times. Historians justified this by the demanding nature of the research. The book contains not only known facts but also their new interpretations and research results. "For example, archaeological research has advanced tremendously; the processing of history after 1989 was a novelty, and new data has also come from the research of city records, and so on," said chief editor Jindřich Schulz from the Department of History at the Faculty of Arts UP, which guaranteed the work.
    Schulz also worked on the most recent history. "I wrote the modern passages with the knowledge that we know very little. As a city councilor, I had access to additional information. However, I realize that when someone works on this part of history in 50 years, it will look completely different," Schulz added.
    The book is being published in an edition of 3,500 copies. It will be freely available for sale at the Information Center and in domestic bookstores for a sale price of 1,100 crowns. The proceeds from the sale will go to the city.
    Part of the project also included the publication of the Small History of the city of Olomouc, which has been available to both the professional and lay public since 2007.