The changes of bourgeois society in Rakovník in the second half of the 19th century. Reflection of the relation between the secondary school and the deanery

The author presents what the processes of modernisation and nationalism changed in the social and religious life on the very local level in the small town Rakovník in Bohemia. During the second half of the 19th century every member of the local community had to declare his national identity, although some parts of the society seemed to stay back from the Czech liberal nationalists. The technical secondary school (Realschule) was supported partly by the Prague Archbishop Foundation, partly by the town Rakovník. On account of assertive implementation of the Czech learning language the secondary school lost many German students from the near language boarder. After the laicisation in 1871 new school chairmanship tried to stay loyal to the Prague Archbishop and local clergy as well as bourgeois elite. In this way the professor of history Zikmund Winter wrote his article to the 50th anniversary of the secondary school to encourage the town which should support the school with finances. The deep analysis of sources shows how the combination of good Catholic town and school was used as an instrument for the state loyalty