Vojtěch Náprstek
Vojtěch Náprstek (born April 17, 1826 in Prague as Adalbert Fingerhut ; † September 2, 1894 ibid) called Vojta Náprstek also Adalbert Fingerhut , was a philanthropist , ethnologist , bookseller , founder of a museum and an important figure in public life in Bohemia .
Life
He comes from an old Prague family. Father was Antonín Náprstek (thimble), mother Anna.
As a teenager he was already occupied with Asian and Oriental cultures. First he graduated from a classical high school. Then he studied philosophy at the University of Prague, but his mother sent him to study law in Vienna, where he earned his living as an educator in a noble family.
After studying law in Vienna, where he actively participated in the revolutionary movement in 1848, he spent ten years as an emigrant in the United States of America . There he first worked as a day laborer and stonemason , then he established himself as a book and paper dealer in Milwaukee (Wisconsin). Later became a translator for Slavic languages and a notary . In 1856 he organized the first gathering of Czechs living in America .
In 1858 he returned to Prague and brought not only technical innovations but also ethnographic exhibitions and articles of everyday use. He made these things accessible to everyone and thereby pursued the opening of Prague to Asian, African and American cultures. He not only collected objects, but also books, magazines, postcards, prints, historical photographs of Czechs and their families who had emigrated, as well as gramophone records. These materials (over 62,000 different ones) are now stored in the library of the Náprstek Museum and prepared for exhibitions and publications.
The development of Vojta Náprstek into a benevolent and popular education advocate was promoted in particular by his mother. Anna Fingerhutová (1788–1873), owner of the beer and brandy brewery “U Halánků”, was known as a charitable wife and patron of Prague. She regularly had bread and money distributed among the poor. At the same time, she also endeavored to develop education accordingly. Thanks to their efforts, regular meetings of the so-called "American Ladies Club" took place. Her financial legacy enabled her son Vojta to found the Náprstek Museum. Náprstek himself made sure that his mother's thoughts and ideas were carried on. He was a great believer in economic independence for women. He knew, however, that the prerequisites for this are certain knowledge and education. Leading Czech politicians , scientists , artists , writers , musicians and traveling researchers regularly met in his home .
June 1, 1888, he founded with Dr. Vilém Briefly the Club of Czech Tourists (Klub českých turistů; KČT).
Vojta Náprstek died on the night of September 1st to 2nd, 1894 in Prague.
Services
museum
The museum was founded in 1862 by Vojta Náprstek under the name “Czech Industrial Museum”. The collections include more than 95,000 exhibits from the ancient Near East, Africa, America, Asia, Australia and Oceania.
Library
During Náprstek's lifetime, his library had a universal character and was based on contemporary specialist literature. In 1900 the inventory comprised approx. 47,000 units. Today there are 200,000.
In his estate, Náprstek bequeathed the museum and library to the Czech people. Both were placed under the care of a board of trustees in Prague. The museum continued the founder's collecting activities with a focus on non-European ethnology . The original trade museum became a museum of ethnology.
In 1932 the museum and library were placed under national administration, and since 1949 they have been an independent department of the National Museum (Národní muzeum) in Prague. The museum has been known as the Náprstek Museum for Asian, African and American cultures since 1962.
literature
- Constantin von Wurzbach : Naprstek, Adalbert . In: Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich . 20th part. Kaiserlich-Königliche Hof- und Staatsdruckerei, Vienna 1869, pp. 83–86 ( digitized version ).
- Náprstek (thimble) Vojta. In: Austrian Biographical Lexicon 1815–1950 (ÖBL). Volume 7, Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, Vienna 1978,ISBN 3-7001-0187-2, p. 34.
- Hozák, Jan: Náprstek a muzejnictví , in: Rozpravy Národního Technického Muzea v Praze, NTM 1998. ISBN 80-7037-070-X .
Web links
- Literature and other media by and about Vojtěch Náprstek in the catalog of the National Library of the Czech Republic
- Náprstkovo muzeum asijských, afrických a amerických culture (Czech)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Birth register Prague St. Gallus, tom. IX, p. 137 ( facsimile )
- ↑ a b Vojta Náprstek †. In: Monday revue from Bohemia. Weekly for politics, economics, art and literature / Monday newspaper (Monday revue) from Böhmen / Monday newspaper from Böhmen , September 3, 1894, p. 5 (online at ANNO ).
- ↑ Alena Škodová: Vojta Náprstek ; Český rozhlas
- ↑ Verlag Dr. C. Müller-Straten: Náprstek (actually: Fingerhut), Vojtěch
- ^ Wikisource: The social and political position of the Germans in the United States
- ^ Martina Schneibergová: Anna Fingerhutová (Náprstková) and the house "U Halanků" ; Český rozhlas
- ↑ Michaela toll Rich: Librarian impressions from the "Golden City" on the Moldau EDBI
- ↑ The Virtual Specialized Library b2i: Náprstek Museum for Asian, African and American Cultures - Library
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Náprstek, Vojtěch |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Náprstek, Vojta; Thimble, Adalbert |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Czech philanthropist, ethnologist, bookseller, founder of a museum |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 17, 1826 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Prague |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 2, 1894 |
| Place of death | Prague |