Technikatörténeti szemle 23. (1997-98)

TANULMÁNYOK - Efmertová, Marcela: Major Anniversaries of Prague’s Czech Technical University and its Support from the Secondary School System in the Past

ion in Vienna decided to reorganize the Schemnitz Academy and set up a mining academy in the Czech lands, specifically in Pribram. An interesting project involving a five-year theoretical course (at the university) supplemented with practical training (in Pribram) was drawn up. This was based on the teaching of ore treatment processes, mining engineering, practical chemistry and methods of plotting mining and geological maps. But the concept of the Pribram Academy went unnoticed in Vienna until 1846. It was the revolutionary year of 1848 that prodded the Austrian authorities into action. An imperial decree, issued on January 23, 1849, established two equal state schools teaching mining sciences - one in the Czech town of Pribram and another in the Austrian town of Leoben. In 1865 the Pribram mining school was granted the status of a mining academy, and only in 1895, did it receive university status. Falling into a category between secondary and higher education and university education were almost all forestry and economic-technical colleges in Bohemia and Moravia

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. The aristocratic families who owned large estates were keenly interested in recruiting well-trained forestry personnel, as forests represented a major source of income. Provisional forestry training centres existed for instance in South Bohemia's Cesky' Krumlov and Dacice estates as early as in the 19th century. Forestry, as an independent branch, was taught at the Prague Polytechnic for the first time in 1832. Higher forestry schools were founded at Bela pod Bezdezem and Tabor in 1855. Following the abolition of statute labour in the Czech lands, the Patriotic Economic Society (active since 1769)

32 had began establishing schools for peasants which were later transformed into higher economic institutes, a German one in Decin-Libverda in North Bohemia, and a Czech one in the South Bohemian town of Tabor. Generally speaking, Gerstner's plans drawn up in the first half of the 19th century, when he emphasized the need of creating highquality secondary schools for the development of Czech technical universities, were put into effect only in the second half of the past centry. Hts vision came true, and both the system of industry-oriented secondary schooling and the Polytechnic served the needs of acceiarating economic development in the Czech lands. Conclusion At the end of the 18th century and during the 19th century countless technical institutes of different types, primairly Realschule, industrial and vocational schools, business and mining academies and economic institutes vital for the further development of manufactories and especially factory production, were established in the Czech lands. These were founded by various voluntary organizations, such as the Patriotic Economic Society or the Union