‘Ein Vorschlag mit dem Erfolg nicht immer Hand in Hand gehe, or How Czechs May Learn to Speak German and Germans Czech Quickly’: The Czech-German Linguistic Space of South-East Bohemia in the Publishing and Printing Production of the Landfras Printing Works
| Pages | 22–36 |
|---|---|
| DOI | 10.37520/amnpsc.2025.010 |
| Keywords | Jindřichův Hradec – Landfras printing works – Czech-German relations – countryside – linguistic and national identity – printing production – Czech national movement |
| Type of Article | Peer-reviewed |
| Citation | BĚHALOVÁ, Štěpánka. ‘Ein Vorschlag mit dem Erfolg nicht immer Hand in Hand gehe, or How Czechs May Learn to Speak German and Germans Czech Quickly’: The Czech-German Linguistic Space of South-East Bohemia in the Publishing and Printing Production of the Landfras Printing Works. Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae – Historia litterarum. Prague: National Museum, 2025, 70(3-4), 22–36. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37520/amnpsc.2025.010. ISSN 2570-6861 (Print), 2570-687X (Online). Also available from: https://publikace.nm.cz/en/periodicals/acta-musei-nationalis-pragae-historia-litterarum/70-3-4/ein-vorschlag-mit-dem-erfolg-nicht-immer-hand-in-hand-gehe-or-how-czechs-may-learn-to-speak-german-and-germans-czech-quickly-the-czech-german-linguistic-space-of-south-east-bohemia-in-the-publishing-and-printing-production-of-the-landfras-printing-works |
This study examines how the ethnic and linguistic situation in South-East Bohemia was reflected in publishing and printing production, with particular emphasis on the activities of the Landfras printing works in Jindřichův Hradec. Special attention is paid to the reflection of the Czech-German ethnic and linguistic interface, and to the transformations of national identity as captured in published titles aimed primarily at small-town and rural audiences. The book production of the Landfras family’s publishing house and printing works encompassed religious prints, popular literature, educational literature, schoolbooks and periodicals. The present text analyses selected printed media in the context of the monarchy’s language policy, the economic strategies of publishers, and the evolving composition of the reading public. The production of the Landfras printing works, which in the nineteenth century ranked among the largest non-Prague enterprises in the Czech lands, both reflected and helped shape the linguistic and ethnic reality of the region — outside the major urban centres, in a milieu where readers encountered linguistic stimuli in the context of the everyday life of villages and small towns.