CORRESPODENCE BETWEEN FRANJO RAČKI, FRANTIŠEK PALACKÝ AND ALOIS VOJTĚH ŠEMBERA

Dopisivanje opsiže razdoblje od 1858 do 1889. Rački piše kao siromašni intelektualac iz politički jedva definirane zemlje. Pisao je pisma najprije iz Rima gdje je istraživao srednjovjekovne hrvatske putopise. Njegov boravak u inozemstvu plaćao je rodoljubni biskup u Đakovu J. J. Strossmayer. Rački je pisao češkom rodoljubu, ocu češke nacije Františeku Palackom koji je bio naklonjen Hrvatima i hrvatskim preporodnim gibanjima, a ta gibanja slijedila su češki preporod sa oko četrdeset godina zakašnjenja. U Palackom je Rački našao prijatelja punog razumijevanja. Onda nalazimo Račkoga kao visokog činovnika koji se bavi izgradnjom hrvatskog znanstvenog aparata. On je k tome i predsjednik tada Jugoslavenske akademije znanosti i umjetnosti koji organizira i hrvatsko školstvo i u tim stvarima obraća se za pomoć Josefu Jirečeku činovniku bečkog ministarstva koji mu je pomogao da novoosnovano Sveučilište Franje Josipa u Zagrebu, glavnom gradu Kraljevine Hrvatske-Slavonije koja je dobila priznanje Nagodbom 1868. dobije i dva profesora iz Praga. Rački je potom pisao pisma Aloisu V. Šemberi jer je želio kupiti knjižnicu njegovog pokojnog oca koji je bio liječnik. Nije uspio i slijedio je sukob s nekim vladinim nadleštvima, a Rački se trudio da nađe punomoćnika što će nabaviti egiptološku zbirku domaršala baruna Alexandera Kollera s novcem đakovačkog biskupa Strossmayera i grofice Elisabete Drašković.This correspondence encompasses a long period between 1858 and 1889. First Rački, as a poor scholar from a politically non-definedcountry,wrotelettersfrom Rome, where he searched for medieval Croatian manuscripts. There, he was found by the patriotic bishop of Djakovo Josip Juraj Strossmayer. He wrote letters to the Czech nationalist, the father of the Czech nation František Palacký, who was favourably disposed to Croatians and Croatian nationalism, which after the Czech revival followed in their footsteps. In Palacký he found a devoted reader of his letters. We then follow Racki as an education officialandthepresidentofthe Yugoslav Academy of Arts and Sciences organizing Croatian education system and science education. There, he asked for the assistance of the Czech scholar and politician Josef Jirecek, who provided him with two professors to teach at the newly established Univerity of Zagreb, which was then the capital of the recently recognized Kingdom of Croatia Slavonia. Racki also wrote letters to Alois Vojtĕh Šembera in order to purchase the library of his late father who was a physician. It was an unsuccessful attempt due to government bureaucracy so he looked for a sponsor in order to purchase an Egyptian collection of baron Alexander Koller, which he eventually did ,with bishop Strossmayer and the Countess Elisabeth Draskovic\u27s money