Collection of old prints

The Historical Fund is also a valuable part of the library fund of the Institute of Ethnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague. This fund comprises a modest collection of old prints and contains 300 volumes from the 16th to 19th centuries and was probably developed already with the specialisation of the institute in mind. Publications related to material and spiritual culture (weather lore or almanacs, magic, alternative medicine, annual customs and trade histories), law (municipal law, gubernatorial and imperial ordinances and patents), verbal and music folklore and history comprise a significant part thereof.

In 2015, the Institute of Ethnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences joined the AV21 Strategy research project, which focuses on researching collective memory across the entire spectrum of knowledge and research. This project also aims to record the collective memory and cultural memory of society and making it accessible to all. A product of this project is the Electronic Catalogue of Old Prints. Markéta Holubová of the Department of Historical Ethnology contributed to its creation.