Luděk Pik: political profile of eminent mayor of Pilsen

The aim of the thesis: to capture the life of the Czech social democratic politician and former mayor of Pilsen, Luděk Pik, with a specific focus on his political activities in the city. This thesis also aims to understand and clarify Pik's relation to Pilsen and the relevance to his life, as well as his essential role in the history of this West Bohemian metropolis. Luděk Pik (18. 5. 1876 Prague - 19. 4. 1948 Pilsen) lived in Pilsen for almost five decades of his life (1901-1948), except the period during the Nazi occupation (1939- 1945). Since 1901 he worked in Pilsen for the Czechoslavonic Social Democratic Workers Party, where he quickly became the local party elite. At the end of the World War I he participated in the establishment of an independent Czechoslovak state. In 1919-1938 he served continuously as mayor of the city of Pilsen and significantly contributed to its modernization and development. He also sat in Cisleithanian and Czechoslovakian legislatures. After the Munich Treaty he was forced to stand down from his political status and was persecuted during the Nazi occupation. The post-war situation prevented his return to a public life. His memoirs and especially his literary works demonstrate his strong patriotic relation to this city. Luděk Pik represents, in modern history of..