History of the Journal

1985–1993

The first issue of the almanac Památky středních Čech (Czech Journal of the Monuments of Central Bohemia) was released by the Centre of National Heritage Care and Nature Protection of Central Bohemia in 1985. The prominent figures in the field, including Emanuel Poche, Dobroslav Líbal, Michaela Glosová, František Kašička, Oldřich Rada, František Kavka, Pavel Kroupa, Ivo Hlobil, Ivan Hlaváček, and Věra Kuthanová, were on hand at the beginning. Karel Friedl was the first editor-in-chief and Marie Morávková was the executive editor. Back then, the almanac was published by a centre which underwent several name changes as the heritage conservation institution developed.

The founders’ plan was to enlarge the spectrum of journals on art history and history, expand the possibilities for publishing scholarly articles on monuments and heritage conservation such as providing information about concrete structures and objects of artistic and conservation value in Central Bohemia to the public, and to deepen the knowledge of experts as well as amateurs who showed interest in the results of constant research and current findings in the field. From the very beginning, the content was based on expert studies, reviews, discussions, reports, and the chronicle section. Special attention was paid to reports, short information revealing the findings of operational research projects carried out during the repairs of monuments that, especially for their topicality, were instrumental in shifting the research in the field. It should be noted that they were often written by highly renowned figures in the field of heritage conservation – for example, the above-mentioned Pavel Kroupa, then Petr Chotěbor, Jan Žižka, Jiří Mrázek, and later also Michael Rykl and Jiří Úlovec. Shortly after its foundation, the almanac was published occasionally, releasing the first six issues by 1993. Further prominent figures of Czech art history and heritage conservation published their fundamental studies in it. In addition to Czech art history legends who co-founded the almanac, they included Vladislav Razím, Jan Sommer, Jiří Varhaník, Petr Macek, and Květa Křížová. The almanac was black and white and had an A5 format. The publication, however, did not have the capacity to reproduce large plan documentations.

1993–1999

Beginning in 1991, the almanac was transformed into a journal published by the Heritage Institute of Central Bohemia in Prague. Vladislav Razím, the new editor-in-chief who assumed his position during 1992, signalled a significant milestone in the journal’s development. His new vision placed emphasis on the journal’s topicality that also included a new “visage”. As of that time, Památky středních Čech was published several times a year, yet in a “thinner variant” of nearly the same format. Nevertheless, the frequency became very quickly established with two issues per year with the subtitle “Bulletin of the Heritage Institute of Central Bohemia in Prague”. By definition, the contributors mostly included the heritage institute employees, often complemented by external authors. Twelve issues were released in six years by the end of 1998, and in 1994, the Annual Report of the Heritage Institute of Central Bohemia was first released as well as the valuable bibliography section Památky středních Čech v odborném tisku (Monuments of Central Bohemia in Scholarly Press). Over the given period, the executive editor position underwent changes; for a brief period, it was taken over by Jan Sommer who was shortly replaced by Olga Klapetková. The editorial board members included, for example, Jiří Mrázek and a long-term director of the institute, Vojtěch Láska.

In 1998, the Annual Report was first published. Over time, its form and content developed into the legendary “Yearbook” that has been providing detailed information about the activities of our workplace since 2003.

1999–present

The year 1999 marked a significant transition in the graphic design of the journal that was published regularly twice a year. Starting from the first issue in 1999, it used better-quality paper and a larger A4 format. This change opened the door to the wider possibilities of image and map appendices, so much needed for prime-quality expert studies. At that point, Památky středních Čech stopped being a newsletter. The long-term employee and future director Jan Žižka joined the editorial board. In 2003, the State Heritage Institute became the National Heritage Institute, and its Regional Office in Central Bohemia residing in Prague was appointed the journal’s publisher. Over many years, the visual part and content of the journal developed a standard form and a wide range of contributors including external authors as well as the institute employees contributed articles. In 2021, Vladislav Razím left the position of the editor-in-chief, but the editorial board remained unchanged. In addition to the executive editor Olga Klapetková, it consists of Vladislav Razím, Jan Žižka, Milena Hauserová, Richard Biegel, Jana Berková, Alfréd Šubert, Vladimír Ryšlink, Zdeněk Kuchyňka, Pavel Kroupa, Květa Křížová, Miroslav Brožovský, and Jan Pešta. Hana Prixová Dvorská was appointed the new editor-in-chief. The content is composed of sections dedicated to studies, materials, reports, and reviews. Occasionally, it is enriched by a chronicle or polemical contributions from the field.