Books of Travels in Service of Nationalism: The Meaning of Work of Václav Vratislav of Mitrovice in the Process of the Czech National Identity Formation

The formation of nationalism, varying between theories of primordialism and modernism, is a living topic among the scholarly and general public. This work is based on the assumption of the modernist theory of the formation of nationalism. The aim is to evaluate the significance of the travelogue of Václav Vratislav of Mitrovice in the process of the Czech national identity formation by analysing individual editions of Vratislav´s travelogue. As a member of diplomatic mission, Václav Vratislav came to Turkish Constantinople by the end of the 16th century. After his return home, he wrote down the experiences from the journey, but the work had not been published until 1777. Since then, the book has been published a total of eleven times. The modern language in which his masterpiece was written played a crucial role in its popularity. During the formation of Czech nationalism, the style of this book helped to codify the modern Czech language. Furthermore, the first edition of the book did not reproduce Vratislav´s original text, but it was altered by the editor just for national-revivalist purposes. Thus, it is an artificially modified national symbol supporting the newly formed Czech nationalism. In the additional editions, the book of travels became an ethnic symbol, which played an important role in forming the Czech nation. It has been perceived as the founding stone of the Czech national feeling, which has been strengthened by repeated re-editions over the next two centuries until the present day