Budova prírodovedecké fakulty by Karel Stolar - Prague, Czech Republic - Paintings Then and Now on Waymarking.com

Twenty years of the interwar era can be without restraint considered the culmination of nearly 100 years long effort of institutional grounding of Czech science. Its professional impact couldn’t be restored in the following era of repeated political turnovers eventually influencing every following generation. Before the universities were closed in 1939 – despite the adverse impact of the economic crisis in the end of the 20’s followed by the reduction of state donations –the Faculty of Science belonged with its 18 departments and 4 seminars, all the scientific outcomes and the level of its absolvents as a scientific workplace amongst the best in Europe. The science-pedagogical activity was based on system of modern equipped laboratories, collections and libraries allowing thorough preparation of absolvents and providing the possibilities of successful scientific work.

At the lead of particular departments stood the renowned scientist with plentiful experience from abroad who prepared the next generations of scientists. Many of them were also important propagators of science and also people of public life. We can name the professor of botany Bohumil Nemec (1873-1966) whose public involvement brought him in 1935 as far as to presidential candidature; mineralogist Frantisek Slavik (1876-1957); physical chemist Jaroslav Heyrovsky (1890-1967), the only awardee of the Nobel Prize from the faculty; the zoologist Julius Komarek (1892-1955); the philosopher Emanuel Radlo (1873-1942); Jindrich Matiegka (1862-1941), whose school of physical anthropology reached European prestige; the parasitologist Otto Jirovec (1907-1972); the botanist Karel Domin (1882-1953); the first Czechoslovak professor of genetics Artur Brozek (1882-1934) and his follower Karel Hruby (1910-1962); the geologist Radim Kettner (1891-1967); the geographers Vaclav Svambera (1866-1939) and Viktor Dvorsky (1882-1960), the demographer Antonin Bohac (1882-1950); the chemist Bohuslav Brauner (1855-1935) and many others.

The new laws on universities from 18th May 1950 fused the related branches and instead of present departments created institutes. In 1952 the so far united Faculty of Science was split into three: mathematical-physical, geologic-geographic and biologic; the big departments were transformed into many departments with narrower specialization. The division of the basic fields of knowledge didn’t prove itself and different reorganization took place in 1959. The faculty of biology and of geology-geography were fused with the fields of chemistry and so created the present form of the Faculty of Science. In the 60’s some modern trends in research and education were enforced and during the so-called Prague spring in 1968 the faculty public supported the democratic changes. The rehabilitation committee was established to resolve the cases of affected employees and students and, in reduced circumstances, to make good. The occupation by the forces of the Warsaw pact and the so-called normalization stopped all hopes and trends. Another set of audits began in years 1969-1971 and so did the forced retirements. The faculty kept the high standards even during the machinery of drastic political practices, mainly thanks to everyday scientific and pedagogical work of its employees.

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The author of this painting is Karel Stolar. Karel Stolar is the book illustrator who is dedicated to creating drawings sights. You can find this painting in book 'Pražské domy vyprávejí - III.'
This book is one of a twelve-part series of books describing structural changes and the development of cultural-historical monuments of Prague (houses, villas and palaces, library, banks, school, museum, hospital, farm, etc.).

Website of painting. Exact URL of painting is required: [Web Link] Artist: Karel Stolar Date of Your Photograph: 12/14/2019 Medium of Painting: pen and ink Date of Painting: Not listed

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