University of Vienna celebrates 250 years of Czech language teaching
The University of Vienna is marking a remarkable milestone this year: 250 years since Czech was first taught there. In fact, Czech was introduced as a field of study in Vienna 18 years earlier than at any Czech University.
It was in 1775 when Josef Valentin Zlobicki, an Austrian lawyer, translator into Czech and linguist, was appointed as the world’s first university professor of Czech language and literature. This appointment also marked the beginning of Czech Studies at the University of Vienna.
Today’s head of the department, Professor Stefan Michael Newerkla, explains:
“Originally, the plan was to introduce Czech, French, Italian, Hungarian and Polish. But only Czech was kept. Emperor Joseph II cancelled the rest. Czech, however, was never shut down again and that is why we can proudly say Vienna has the world’s oldest Czech Studies.”
Czech was the very first language to be taught at an academic level, and it later became a model for other linguistic fields, says Newerkla.
The institution has been marking the anniversary all year with workshops and exhibitions, but the main celebrations are still ahead:
“Since the beginning of this year, we have already held about 70 events, from workshops to exhibitions. It really is a big jubilee. The celebrations will culminate with a major conference at the start of October. It will be a major event and we are very much looking forward to it.”
Over a quarter of a millennium, Czech Studies in Vienna has seen highs and lows. Interest grew steadily from the start in 1775 and remained strong through the 19th century, supported by a large wave of Czech migration to Vienna. But in the 20th century, circumstances shifted, Mr. Newerkla explains:
“After the First World War, many Czechs re-emigrated to the newly established Czechoslovakia, and interest in Czech declined. Things got even worse after the Second World War, when the Iron Curtain made Czech a marginal subject. That was the toughest time, there were very few students, maybe 20 to 25 a year, and the field was only kept alive by true enthusiasts.”
However, the fall of the Iron Curtain brought renewed interest, he adds:
“In the best years, around 2000 to 2004, we had as many as 250 students. Now the numbers have dropped a bit, partly due to smaller generations. At the moment, we have about 150 students of Czech.”
Two and a half centuries on, Czech may no longer attract crowds of hundreds, but Czech studies in Vienna still have a firm place and a tradition that continues to this day.
