“Slavic Athens”: The image of Prague in the 40s of the 19th century in Izmail Sreznevsky’s letters to his mother

Abstract

The article discusses a range of issues related to the stay of Izmail Sreznevsky in Prague in the early 40s of the 19th century. The basis for the study was letters to his mother, which the scientist and public figure wrote as travel notes. Their peculiarity is the emotionality of impressions, the subjective nature of statements, the lack of a clear structure and a certain inconsistency in the presentation of the material. However, they contain detailed and vivid descriptions of the urban space, everyday life of the inhabitants of Prague, characterise the state of theater and musical art, give an idea of the environment of Czech intellectuals, such as V. Hanka, J.-P. Kaubuk, F. Palatsky, F. Chelakowski, P. J. Shafaryk, and J. Jungman. In the process of research, it was determined that the traveler was attracted not only by material culture, but also by customs, traditions, worldview beliefs of the inhabitants of Prague. It is found out that I. Sreznevsky focused on several aspects related to urban space, in particular, general descriptions of landscapes and architectural monuments. The young scientist associated the city with tea parties in the Shafaryk family, tasting chocolate in local coffee shops, dance evenings at F. Chelakovsky’s. All round it created an unforgettable atmosphere. In addition to the social circle, the image of the city, for Izmail Sreznevsky, was also formed by several other components: his musicality, religiosity, passion for fashion and lotteries. In the end, his stay in Prague became decisive for the formation of Izmail Sreznevsky as a specialist in the field of Slavic studies. In the future, he always advised his own students on scientific trips to Bohemia, as an obligatory element of professional growth.