Michael Josef Fesl, a benefactor of the National museum library
| Pages | 82-95 |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Michael Josef Fesl – Bernard Bolzano – National Museum Prague – Josef Binder – Antonín Lhota – Czech history of the 19th century |
| Citation | SRŠEŇ, Lubomír. Michael Josef Fesl, a benefactor of the National museum library. Acta Musei Nationalis Pragae – Historia litterarum. Prague: National Museum, 2012, 57(1-2), 82-95. ISSN 0036-5351. Also available from: https://publikace.nm.cz/en/periodicals/amnphl/57-1-2/michael-josef-fesl-a-benefactor-of-the-national-museum-library |
ThDr. Michael Josef Fesl (b. September 29 1788 in Prague – d. February 2 1864 in Vienna), the Bernard Bolzano’s most dedicated student, persecuted and interned for the dissemination of Bolzano’s reformatory teachings, bequeathed all his property to the Natio- nal Museum in Prague, including his library, which consisted of approximately 12 000 volumes of books. He became one of the greatest donors of the National Museum. His generous legacy has been disregarded for years as Fesl was not among the Czech natio- nalists but among the land patriots whose native language was German. Now, when the importance of B. Bolzano and his pupils for Czech history can be evaluated objectively and from a distance, it is necessary to remind Fesl’s merits and to honour his memory on the occasion of the forthcoming 150th anniversary of his death.
Rozumím