Dějiny věd a techniky 2015, 4

ČLÁNKY / PAPERS
deutscher Naturforscher und Ärzte which convene until today. Both the society and
its meetings became a model of scientific communication and integration of
scientists which gradually spread all over Europe. Marianne Klemun attempted
to show that the conventions of the German Natural Scientists and Physicians,
which took place within the borders of the [so called ]‘German Bund’ , acted
as an instrument of integration of German speaking scientists or even of the
“imaginary or imagined nation of Germany” on various levels: ”(1) on a political-
-geographical and national level (2) a public-political level, and (3) a cognitive
level, but also on a level of consciousness, by trying to reunite all the natural
sciences.” It is necessary to point out, however, that these congresses were not
German in the strictly political sense of word. Their annual congregations in
Hermann LAMPE – Hans QUERNER – Ilse GÄRTNER (eds.). Die Vorträge der
allgemeinen Sitzungen auf der 1.–85. Versammlung 1822–1913 [der deutschen
Naturforscher und Aerzte]. Schriftenreihe zur Geschichte der Versammlungen deutscher
Naturforscher und Aerzte. Bd. 1. Hildesheim, Gerstenberg, 1972; official website of
the Gesellschaft Deutscher Naturforscher und Ärzte, see http://www.gdnae.de/;
the overview of the conventions is on http://www.deutsches-museum.de/archiv/
bestaende/institutionenarchive/verzeichnis/gdnae/versammlungsuebersicht-1822
ff-chronologisch/; the websites were visited in February and March 2015.
I would like to thank Jan Surman for mentioning to me the fact me that while
the German conventions were of crucial importance, other national conventions
were also taking place in the first half of the 19 th century, like the British ones in
the Victorian era; see e.g. Louise MISKELL. Meeting Places: Scientific Congresses and
Urban Identity in Victorian Britain. Farnham, Ashgate, 2013.
Marianne KLEMUN. Natural Science and Geology as a Medium of Integration:
The Versammlung deutscher Naturforscher und Ärzte in Prague in 1837 and
the Meetings of German Natural Scientists and Physicians during the ‘Vormärz’
(1822–1848). Centaurus, 48, 2006, p. 284–297.
The German expression “Versammlung”, the Polish “zjazd” and the Czech “sjezd”
are usually translated in various papers as “conference” “meeting”, “congress” or
“convention”. Klemun uses the words “meeting” and “congregation”. In my opinion
the term “convention” captures most aptly the meaning of the word “Versammlung”,
therefore the paper uses in the official titles of the meetings the word “convention”,
while in the text also other synonyms are occurring.
The new political order of Germany after the Congress of Vienna in 1815 united
various territorial entities with different legal traditions (one empire, five kingdoms,
four large cities, etc.) under one political roof, namely the ‘German Bund’. Austria
and Prussia brought to the Bund those territories that had previously belonged to
the Holy Roman Empire.
KLEMUN, op. cit., 2006, p. 285–286.
Turning “Province” to a “Centre”?
277