Historical Correspondence Online aims to provide a central gathering place for information about projects – especially digitization projects – concerning medieval, early modern and modern correspondence which was sent to and from the Bohemian lands or written by people with Bohemian connections.
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The Correspondence of Philipp Jakob Sachs von Löwenheim
The Correspondence of Amand Polan von Polansdorf
Amand Polan von Polansdorf (1561–1610), known also as Amandus Polanus, was a Calvinist theologian born in Silesia and author of a number of important theological works. He studied in his native Troppau (Opava) and in Breslau (Vratislavia, Wrocław), Tübingen, Basel and Genf (Genève, Geneva) between 1577 and 1584. He later worked as tutor in the […]
Correspondence networks of post-White Mountain scholars in the Czech lands
The correspondence of the Flemish Jesuit mathematician Theodore Moretus (1602–1667) and other Jesuit mathematicians active in the Bohemian lands, and likewise of the Silesian doctor and publisher of the first medical journal Miscellanea curiosa medico-physica Philipp Jakob Sachs von Löwenheim (1627–1672) form an integral part of this project. Among those who received their letters were the […]
Marcus Marci of Kronland Correspondence
„Jan Marek Marci of Kronland (1595–1667) in Context of Czech Philosophical Baroque. “ (GA ČR 20-03823S) The focus of the research is the correspondence produced by the professor of medicine Jan Marek Marci from Kronland, the Dean of the Prague Medical Faculty and later also University Rector. This scholar who was author of ca ten printed […]
Communication Networks in the History of Czech Art – The Correspondence of Zdeněk Wirth (1878–1961)
Project support: Strategy AV21 for 2021, program “Memory in the Digital Age”, research topic “Digital Humanities – access, preservation, and rescue of sources in the digital age” (Researcher: Ing. Martin Lhoták / KNAV) Research institutes: Institute of Art History of the Czech Academy of Sciences (ÚDU AV ČR), Masaryk Institute and Archive of the Czech […]
Alois Musil and the beginnings of Oriental Studies in Czechoslovakia
The project is handled by the Masaryk Institute and the Archive of the Czech Academy of Sciences, by the Library of the Czech Academy of Sciences, and by the Museum of National Literature (NAKI II DG20P02OVV006). The project is oriented towards the development of open source software HIKO intended to capture historical correspondence and correspondence […]
Correspondence in the Jan Patočka Archive and his Collected Works
The nucleus of the Jan Patočka Archive at the Centre for Theoretical Study and the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences is Patočka’s handwritten legacy (approximately 10,000 manuscript pages). These papers, which are accessible to researchers, are gradually being edited and published as part of the Collected Works of Jan Patočka (issued […]
T. G. Masaryk’s International Correspondence Networks and the Establishment of Czechoslovakia in 1918
Project support: Applied Research and Development of National and Cultural Identity Programme for 2016–2022 (NAKI II), Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, project NAKI II DG18P02OVV026 Applicant: Masaryk Institute and Archives of the Czech Academy of Sciences (Masarykův ústav a Archiv AV ČR, v. v. i.)Co-applicant: Centre of Administration and Operations of the Czech […]
Milada Blekastad
International co-operation
The main strategic international partner of the portal Historical Correspondence Online is the interdisciplinary research project Cultures of Knowledge at the University of Oxford funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Arts and Humanities Research Council. The project uses digital methods with the aim of gathering and interpreting Early Modern Period correspondence of predominantly scholarly provenance. For this purpose it has been building the extensive database Early Modern Letters Online (EMLO), which is continually expanding and currently (February 2021) includes more than 164,000 letters.
Databases
This section brings together the online databases of various correspondence collections. These databases are listed by period: medieval, early modern, 19th century and 20th century. Although we do not currently have the capacity to produce an exhaustive list, our goal is to provide a list that is at least representative. We rely here, however, on our colleagues, particularly specialists in different historical periods. We are always grateful to hear about any databases that could be added to this list.
Edition
This section aims to make references to printed and digital editions of correspondence related to the Bohemian lands and correspondence inventories accessible in one place. Although an exhaustive list is beyond our powers, we would be happy if the list could be at least representative. For this however we have to rely on our colleagues, especially on specialists in various historical periods. We would be delighted if you could alert us to editions and inventories that ought to be included here.
Visualisation
Below we highlight the most popular open source platforms for visualizing metadata from historical correspondence. These platforms are suitable even for researchers without IT experience. We are aware that several lists of visualization tools can be found online, however not all these platforms are easily accessible and usable for researchers. The four tools below are those with which we have some experience.
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