Southern Bohemia Research Articles

Searching for Jewish Ancestors before They Had a Fixed Family Name—Three Case Studies from Bohemia, Southern Germany, and Prague

Anyone who traces their Jewish ancestors back to the 18th century and even further back in history encounters the challenge of looking for ancestry without the clue that a fixed family name provides. Before the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century, when Jews were forced by law to adopt a fixed family name, Ashkenazim Jewish families used patronymic names as last names. A patronymic name changes every generation. Sometimes, in larger cities, various types of nicknames were used as last names. Such a nickname could change within a generation and often indicated the place a person came from, his occupation, or personal characteristics. In this article, I will show, using three case studies, how I have faced the challenge of determining which patronymic names and nicknames my ancestors used as last names before they were forced to adopt a fixed family name. The three case studies are the ancestors of Josef Stern, who lived in the late 18th and early 19th century in Neu Bistritz in southern Bohemia, today Nova Bystrice in Czechia; Julius Strauss, 1883–1939, who lived in the late 18th, 19th, and early 20th century in Frücht and Giessen in Nassau/Hesse, today in southern Germany; and Simon Reiniger, who lived in Prague in the 18th and early 19th century.

The Effect of Reservoir Cultivation on Conventional Maize in Sandy-Loam Soil

Maize grown on sloped areas is susceptible to surface runoff and soil erosion, especially if traditional technology with tillage is employed. As a result, other solutions are being sought that address this risk and are acceptable to farmers. The combination of inter-row cultivation with the formation of small reservoirs appears to be a suitable alternative solution applicable in traditional corn cultivation. In the years 2020, 2021, and 2022, three plots of land in southern Bohemia, Czech Republic, were selected for testing, on which this approach was tested. During the field experiments, three variants were compared each year: inter-row cultivation with reservoirs, inter-row cultivation only, and a control without any mechanical intervention. All variants were subjected to rain simulation, from which the surface runoff was evaluated. The highest retention of runoff was manifested with reservoir cultivation by 2.4–4.2 min, compared to the cultivated variant, and 2–4.2 min compared to the control. This result would correspond to a difference of 5.7–9.8 mm retained precipitation and 4.6 to 7.3 mm, respectively. The hydraulic conductivity of the soil was evaluated after canopy closure. The lowest values were invariably reached in the reservoirs, up to 88% lower than with the cultivated variant and 79% lower than the control. The fresh matter yield of forage maize was shown to be inconclusively higher by up to 10% in 2020 and 2022 in cultivation with reservoirs. However, the dry matter yield was always lower in the variant with reservoirs compared to inter-row cultivation only. Overall, reservoir cultivation appears to be an effective method for the retention of rainwater on agricultural land with a slope up to 6° without a significant effect on the yield of maize.

Verified occurrence of Felis silvestris in Bohemia (Czech Republic) in 2010–2021 (Carnivora: Felidae)

In total, 616 reliable records (C1, C2 category sensu SCALP) of wildcat occurrence in Bohemia were collected and analysed in 11 monitoring seasons, “wildcat years” (WCY), 2010–2021. Camera-trapping data accounted for 95% of the dataset, the rest of the records were verified by the genetic analysis of several hair samples, scats, and tissue samples. The occurrence of the European wildcat was confirmed in eight sub-areas, more continuously in the forested border areas of southern and western Bohemia, and more sparsely in central and northern Bohemia. In total, the wildcat occurred at 73 different sites, in 35 mapping squares: four confirmed as category C1, 31 as category C2. The current occurrence in the western part of the Czech Republic is linked to that in neighbouring Germany. The development of modern non-invasive monitoring methods was crucial for the increase in detection of wildcat presence. However, both reintroduction and population increase in Bavaria and climactic change can also play a role as drivers of the recent spreading of the wildcat to our territory. Reproduction was confirmed in two sub-areas (Český les Mts., WCY 2021; Doupovské hory Mts., WCY 2020) and represents the first documented reproduction of the wildcat in Bohemia since the WWII. In some large areas such as the Šumava Mts., we observed a rather wider spatial activity, smaller numbers of individuals and more transient character of occurrence than in other (more restricted) areas, such as the Doupovské hory Mts., where we found higher population density and permanent occurrence with reproduction. Species-specific systematic camera-trapping and genetic monitoring in all areas with confirmed occurrence is highly recommended for the future.

Foliar Resorption Efficiency Does Not Change Along an Elevational Gradient in Two Dominant Peatbog Plant Species

Plants adapted to nutrient-poor temperate peatlands exhibit relatively low foliar N and P contents and resorb N and P from ageing leaves very efficiently to minimize their nutrient losses through litter fall. Changes in nutrient resorption efficiency due to an expectable increase of temperature may affect nutrient cycling in peatlands. We used an elevational gradient as a proxy for the effect of ongoing climatic change and compared the foliar N and P resorption efficiencies (REN, REP) of two co-occurring typical plant dominants (Molinia caerulea and Vaccinium uliginosum) at four microsites of each of two acidic peatbogs in southern Bohemia, Czechia, at two elevations differing by ca 500 m. No significant difference in soil nutrient content was found between the two sites. Foliar N and P contents in mature leaves in both species did not depend on the elevational gradient and were mostly not correlated with the inorganic soil nutrients. The REN (70–78%) and REP values (61–70%) in Vaccinium were markedly lower than those in Molinia (84–85% and 92–94%, respectively). In line with literature data, the peatland dominants Molinia and Vaccinium possess different strategies of foliar N and P resorption from ageing leaves. High REN and REP in Molinia obviously underlie its strong dominance in unmanaged peatland habitats. No elevational difference in both REN and REP was found in either species, indicating that the resorption efficiencies of these species are not expected to change markedly under the projected scenario of increasing temperature and lengthening growing season.

Litologie a paleopůdy klikovského souvrství ve vrtu 2140 01T1 Dunajovice, třebonská pánev

The 2140 01T1 borehole sampling the Late Cretaceous non-marine strata of the Klikov Formation in the central part of the Třeboň Basin in southern Bohemia provided ~ 70 m thick alluvial succession composed of alternating sandstone and mudstone intervals that overlays deeply weathered crystalline basement. The mudstone interval in the lower part of the Klikov Formation is separated by sandy layers into several 2–4 m thick fining-upward units. The sharp-based sandy layers with fusain, carbonized stems and rip-up clasts of underlying mudstone are interpreted as avulsion deposits. They grade upwards into heterolithic sand-silt sequence and mottled massive mudstone with burrows, rhizohalos and variably developed pedogenic features. Such cyclic arrangement probably reflects autogenic processes on distal floodplain with episodic deposition and upward increasing subaerial exposition and pedogenic overprint. In the middle to upper parts of the Klikov Formation up to 6 m thick channel sandbodies with sharp erosional bases cutting into the underlying laminated sand-silt heteroliths of channel levee deposits occur. The thickness of the single-storey sandbodies corresponds usually to c. 2 m which suggests up to 3 m deep channels during bankfull discharge. The thicker multi-storey sandbodies record channel amalgamation on the alluvial ridge or shallow paleovalley fillings. The sandbodies grade upwards to massive mudstones of abandoned channel fills and floodplain deposits. These floodplain units are up to 8 m thick and consist of variegated massive mudstones interrupted by discrete up to 1 m thick fining upward layers of rippled sandstone representing crevasse splay deposits. Depositional context including preserved levee deposits, abandoned channel fillings and floodplain finegrained deposits suggests rather higher sinuosity of the formative rivers. Palaeosol profiles represent pedogenically modified floodplain fines with gradational bases and sharp erosive top surfaces. At least 10 palaeosols were identified in the measured section, forming mostly discrete profiles up to 2 m thick consisting of several B-horizons that differ in the degree of the soil structure development, colour, mottling, grain size, presence of clay hypocoatings and bioturbation index. The most common Bw horizons form lower parts of the profiles and have no or only a weakly developed angular blocky structure (ABS). The typical mottling is caused by a hierarchical system of vermicular greenish-grey reduction rhizohalos, that may be filled by silt to sand or illuviated clay hypocoatings and probably follow the original plant root system. Some patches have diffuse orange rims of iron oxides, probably represented by goethite. Mudstone of Bsst horizons displays well-developed ABS with rare wedge-shaped peds and contains a number of illuviated clay skins and redox depletions. Vertic features like fine cracks filled by sand are common, and slickensides with clay hypocoatings occur rarely. Mudstones of Bt horizons contain a number of illuviated clay hypocoatings filling root channels or interpedal cracks, while the Bss horizons exhibit well-developed ABS with slickensides and contain a number of vertical cracks filled by sandy grains. Palaeosol profiles represent mainly argillisols and vertic argillisols with transitions to argillic vertisols. Poorly developed argillic to vertic protosols are also common. Palaeosol profiles differ mainly in the degree of structural development/maturity, which is given by various lengths of exposition to similar climatic conditions. Vertical distribution of palaeosols reflects their position in the alluvial landscape with locally specific hydromorphic conditions rather than a distinct climatic trend. Most of palaeosols exhibits downprofile translocation of clay (illuviation) leading to the formation of argillic horizon, which typically develop on stabilized landscape in humid climate with seasonal moisture deficit.

Assessment of the capability of modern reanalyses to simulate precipitation in warm months using adjusted radar precipitation

Study regionCentral Europe Study focusPrecipitation fields from reanalyses have been widely used for hydrological applications, meteorological extreme analyses or climatological research. Modern reanalyses provide all characteristics in regular grids with high resolutions and thus can substitute for gridded in situ, radar and satellite observations. Here, we assess the ability of three modern reanalyses with different spatial resolutions and different rates of assimilation to reproduce precipitation in Central Europe. Two global (ERA-5 and ERA-5 Land) and one regional (Mescan-Surfex) reanalysis products are evaluated against adjusted radar-derived precipitation totals in the warm parts of the 17-year period. New hydrological insights for the regionA comparison of daily precipitation totals generally shows good agreement with the observations in all reanalyses. However, the detailed analysis of climatological indices shows a general overestimation of precipitation sums and the number of wet days in all tested months but an underestimation of high precipitation on monthly or seasonal sums and a lower occurrence of days with sums above 10 mm. Mescan-Surfex seems to be the most accurate of all three reanalyses, with the exception of the years between 2009 and 2012, with very low precipitation in southern Bohemia. The largest differences between radar and reanalysis precipitation characteristics are detected in the summer months when convective precipitation prevails. The obtained results can be used for further applications in hydrological modelling.

New geophysical and geological data on the Moldanubian plutonic complex and the Kaplice Fault, southern Bohemia

New geophysical and geological data on the Moldanubian plutonic complex and the Kaplice Fault, southern Bohemia

Hyaloscypha gabretae and Hyaloscypha gryndleri spp. nov. (Hyaloscyphaceae, Helotiales), two new mycobionts colonizing conifer, ericaceous and orchid roots.

Historically, Hyaloscypha s. lat. (Hyaloscyphaceae, Helotiales) included various saprobes with small apothecia formed on decaying plant matter, usually wood, that were defined by chemical and (ultra)structural aspects. However, recent molecular phylogenetic and resynthesis studies have narrowed the concept of the genus and shown that it contains several widely distributed species with unknown sexual morphs that form ectomycorrhizae, ericoid mycorrhizae, and mycothalli and also grow endophytically in plant roots and hypogeous ectomycorrhizal (EcM) fruitbodies (i.e., the historical Hymenoscyphus ericae aggregate). Hence, some of the sexually reproducing saprobic Hyaloscypha s. lat. and the symbionts belong to the monophyletic Hyaloscypha s. str. Here, we introduce two new root-symbiotic Hyaloscypha s. str. species, i.e., H. gabretae and H. gryndleri spp. nov. While the former was isolated only from ericaceous hosts (Vaccinium myrtillus from Southern Bohemia, Czechia and Calluna vulgaris from England, UK), the latter was obtained from a basidiomycetous EcM root tip of Picea abies (Pinaceae), roots of Pseudorchis albida (Orchidaceae), and hair roots of V. myrtillus from Southern Bohemia and C. vulgaris from England. Hyaloscypha gryndleri comprises two closely related lineages, suggesting ongoing speciation, possibly connected with the root-symbiotic life-style. Fungal isolates from ericaceous roots with sequences similar to H. gabretae and H. gryndleri have been obtained in Japan and in Canada and Norway, respectively, suggesting a wide and scattered distribution across the Northern Hemisphere. In a series of in vitro experiments, both new species failed to form orchid mycorrhizal structures in roots of P. albida and H. gryndleri repeatedly formed what morphologically corresponds to the ericoid mycorrhizal (ErM) symbiosis in hair roots of V. myrtillus, whereas the ErM potential of H. gabretae remained unresolved. Our results highlight the symbiotic plasticity of root-associated hyaloscyphoid mycobionts as well as our limited knowledge of their diversity and distribution, warranting further ecophysiological and taxonomic research of these important and widespread fungi.

"Allmählich kriegt man vor Kafkas Vater, vor Möbeln und selbst vor Felice Respekt" : Hermann Kafkas Herkunft und deren Präsenz im Werk des Sohnes

The literary region of South Bohemia is prominently represented on the Atlas of World Literature by Adalbert Stifter – some may also remember Hašek's "Budweiser Anabasis", an important element of Schwejk's wanderings into war. However, one of the most notorious father-figures in world literature, Hermann Kafka, comes from a small town in southern Bohemia, Wosek. This article would like to proceed in two directions. First, to reconstruct the world of origin of this father, a socialisation that in many ways also remained imprinted in the Kafka family. Hardness against oneself, the will to rise, physical presence and potency were qualities that Hermann Kafka acquired in this milieu and permanently "exemplified" to his son. The son repeatedly invoked this vitality of origin in many texts, not least in the "Brief an den Vater". On the other hand, the article will show the extent to which this Wosek world was incorporated into Franz Kafka's texts, for example, the extent to which the atmosphere of the village in the "Castle" novel reflects the concrete Wosek conveyed by the father, however alienated. This part is intended as a suggestion for further analyses.

Plio-Pleistocene paleodrainage reconstruction using moldavite-bearing and morphostratigraphically related deposits (Southern Bohemia, Czech Republic)

The area of Southern Bohemia between Novohradské hory Mountains and the Třeboň and Budějovice Basins – the Novohradské Foothills (in the south of the Czech Republic) is known for the occurrence of moldavites. These tektites are abundant in fluvial Koroseky sands and gravels. This study focuses on reconstructing the paleostreams, which deposited the moldavite-bearing sediments, and their relationship to present streams. Based on a review of the deposits' occurrences, a connection between moldavite-bearing sediments and deposits of the present watercourses, Vltava, Malše, Stropnice and Svinenský, is proposed. The link between moldavite-bearing deposits and the current streams were further supported by analyses of river geometry (longitudinal profiles, stream gradient) and terrain morphology (valley floor ratio, basin asymmetry). It is suggested that the moldavite-bearing deposits were sedimented during the Pliocene or Pleistocene by predecessors of the present streams. The occurrences of particular fluvial deposits and changes in terrain morphology and river geometry can be traces of changes in the river network and the dynamic evolution of local relief induced by tectonic activity during the Pliocene and Pleistocene.

Geochemical approach to determine the anthropogenic signal at non-intensively settled archaeological sites – The case of an Iron Age enclosure in Bohemia

We present a geochemical analysis of a specific Iron Age type of site known as the Viereckschanze – a square enclosure located in Bělčice, southern Bohemia. We performed soil coring from the topsoil to ca 100 cm depth, with 200 cores (divided into 456 samples). The samples were measured using portable XRF and the final dataset comprised 16 elements (Al, Si, P, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, As, Rb, Sr, Zr, Pb, and LE – ‘light elements’). Because of the compositional character of data expressed in ppm, the data were transformed using isometric log-ratio transformation, which enabled them to carry out a multivariate analysis. This made it possible to determine the anthropogenic and natural content of elements. The site was specific when compared to usual archaeological sites for its ‘unconventional’ chemical signal: 1) the P signal typical for archaeological settlements was found mainly outside of the enclosure; 2) the conventional anthropogenic signal from the inside of the enclosure was only represented by Mn; 3) other elements related to possible anthropogenic activities were revealed only after applying statistical analysis (specifically As, Pb, Zn, Cu); 4) the unusual manifestation of Si and Ti (usually natural signals) strongly connected to anthropogenic contexts was observed. Increased contents of Cu, Zn and especially Pb were recorded in places indicated by previous magnetic measurements which were possibly related to an onsite metalworking activity. Such results could be characterised as a mixture of typical human-related signals (represented mainly by P and Mn) and typical natural signals (like Si, and Ti). These observations corroborate the hypothesis of a specificity of the Viereckschanzen. They did not have to be used exclusively for residential purposes and could have had a different, more complex socio-economic role in the past. Last but not least, their occupation was probably also rather short-time.

Black Carbon and Its Effect on Carbon Sequestration in Soil

The properties of black carbon (BC) are described very differently in the literature, even when determined by the same methodological procedure. To clarify this discrepancy, BC was investigated in the clay Cambisols of southern Bohemia, Czech Republic, in groups of soils with lower and higher deposition of its atmospheric fallout. The BC determination was performed according to a modified method of Kuhlbusch and Crutzen (1995). The amount of the free light fraction, the occluded light fraction of soil organic matter and its ratio, the amount of heavy soil fraction DF, and its soil organic matter DFOM were determined. Other soil characteristics were identified. It was found that there are two very different types of BC in soils. Historical BC from biomass fires, and new, anthropogenic, from the furnace and transport fumes. Historical BC has a significant effect on the organic matter of the heavy soil fraction, on the ratio of the free and occluded soil organic matter fraction, and the number of water-resistant soil aggregates. Anthropogenic BC does not have this effect. Because this form of BC is not significantly stabilized by the colloidal mineral fraction, it is necessary to take general data on BC’s high stability and resistance to mineralization in the soil with circumspection.

Vodní měkkýši přírodní rezervace Krabonošská niva [Aquatic molluscs of the Krabonošská niva Nature Reserve

A floodplain of the Lužnice river at the Czech-Austrian border is protected by the Krabonošská niva Nature Reserve (Southern Bohemia, Czech Republic). This floodplain has a relatively natural character and, in addition to the Lužnice river, there is a high diversity of habitats at various stages of succession such as oxbows, pools and temporary wetlands. Altogether 20 species were found at 15 sites studied in 2021. Common and widespread gastropods Lymnaea stagnalis, Segmentina nitida and Planorbarius corneus belonged among the most often recorded species. Endangered Pisidium globulare was found at two sites, and only one non-native species Physa acuta was recorded. Molluscan assemblages are very similar to the assemblages of the neighboring Horní Lužnice Nature Reserve.

Drivers of Macrophyte and Diatom Diversity in a Shallow Hypertrophic Lake

We studied macrophyte and diatom assemblages and a range of environmental factors in the large hypertrophic Dehtář fishpond (Southern Bohemia, Czech Republic) over the course of several growing seasons. The spatial diversity of the environment was considered when collecting diatoms and water samples in three distinct parts of the fishpond, where automatic sensor stations continually measuring basic factors were established. Macrophytes were mapped in 30 segments of the fishpond littoral altogether. High species richness and spatiotemporal variability were found in assemblages of these groups of autotrophs. Water level fluctuations, caused by the interaction of fish farming management and climatic extremes, were identified as one of the most important factors shaping the structure and species composition of diatom and macrophyte assemblages. The distance of the sampling sites from large inflows reflected well the spatial variability within the fishpond, with important differences in duration of bottom drainage and exposure to disturbances in different parts of the fishpond. Disturbances caused by intensive wave action are most probably a crucial factor allowing the coexistence of species with different nutrient requirements under the hypertrophic conditions of the Dehtář fishpond. Due to a range of variables tested and climatic extremes encountered, our study may be considered as a basis for predictive model constructions in similar hypertrophic water bodies under a progressing climate change.

Vodní měkkýši přírodní rezervace Horní Lužnice – revizní průzkum po více než 10 letech [Aquatic molluscs of the Horní Lužnice Nature Reserve – revision survey after more than 10 years

The Lužnice River and its floodplain are protected in the Horní Lužnice Nature Reserve (Southern Bohemia, Czech Republic). The floodplain has a relatively natural character. Altogether 21 aquatic mollusc species were found at 40 sites. Lymnaea stagnalis, Physa fontinalis, Segmentina nitida and Planorbarius corneus belonged among the most often recorded species. Endangered Pisidium globulare was found. Non-native molluscs were not recorded. Only minimal changes were documented after the first research of this reserve, which was done more than 10 years ago.

Chironomid-based temperature and environmental reconstructions of the Last Glacial Termination in southern Bohemia, Czech Republic

We present a new chironomid record from sediments of former Lake Švarcenberk in South Bohemia (412 m asl, Czech Republic), located in the oceanic-to-continental macroclimatic transitional zone of eastern Central Europe. We provide estimates of Weichselian Late Glacial and Early Holocene (ca. 15–8 ka BP) mean July air temperatures on the basis of changes in the fossil assemblage using a joint Norwegian-Swiss transfer function. In our study, the climate was found to be relatively cold during the Late Pleniglacial, with July temperatures ranging between 11.2 and 12.3 °C. With the exception of the youngest section of this interval, temperatures during the Bølling-Allerød interstadial were relatively stable and warm, with values around 13.3–14.5 °C. During the Younger Dryas (YD), July temperatures varied between 12.7 and 16 °C, and these particular results are in agreement with other climatic reconstructions from the central to the eastern part of the European continent showing no or moderate summer temperature decrease during the YD, or even a slightly warming trend. A relatively warm and climatically stable early YD phase was followed by a variable and overall cooler younger phase. At the beginning of the Early Holocene, our reconstructed July temperatures increased to 17.7 °C. We demonstrate that general patterns of temperature changes inferred from chironomids during the Last Glacial Termination are similar to various multi-proxy reconstructions in Europe but we observe two unusually strong and abrupt cooling events: one that may be linked with the Gerzensee oscillation at the end of the Bølling-Allerød Interstadial and another that probably corresponds to the Preboreal Oscillation, although the temperature decreases in these intervals were much more pronounced than observed in other chironomid records from Europe, suggesting that local climatic factors and ecosystem responses may have overamplified these cold events in the temperature reconstruction. However, other proxies (geochemistry, pollen) support the interpretation of climatically driven palaeoenvironmental changes such as the development of vegetation cover, changes in lake productivity, pedogenesis and erosion.

Physical activity in an air-polluted environment: behavioral, psychological and neuroimaging protocol for a prospective cohort study (Healthy Aging in Industrial Environment study \u2013 Program 4)

BackgroundAir pollution has been linked to increased mortality and morbidity. The Program 4 of the Healthy Aging in Industrial Environment study investigates whether the health and wellbeing benefits of physical activity (PA) can be fully realized in individuals living in highly polluted environments. Herein, we introduce the behavioral, psychological and neuroimaging protocol of the study.MethodsThis is a prospective cohort study of N = 1500 individuals aged 18–65 years comparing: (1) individuals living in the highly polluted, industrial region surrounding the city of Ostrava (n = 750), and (2) controls from the comparison region with relative low pollution levels in Southern Bohemia (n = 750). Quota sampling is used to obtain samples balanced on age, gender, PA status (60% active runners vs. 40% insufficiently active). Participants are screened and complete baseline assessments through online questionnaires and in-person lab-based assessments of physiological, biomechanical, neuroimaging and cognitive function parameters. Prospective 12-month intensive monitoring of air pollution and behavioral parameters (PA, inactivity, and sleep) follows, with a focus on PA-related injuries and psychological factors through fitness trackers, smartphones, and mobile apps. Subsequently, there will be a 5-year follow-up of the study cohort.DiscussionThe design of the study will allow for (1) the assessment of both short-term variation and long-term change in behavioral parameters, (2) evaluation of the incidence of musculoskeletal injuries and psychological factors impacting behavior and injury recovery, and (3) the impact that air pollution status (and change) has on behavior, psychological resilience, and injury recovery. Furthermore, the integration of MRI techniques and cognitive assessment in combination with data on behavioral, biological and environmental variables will provide an opportunity to examine brain structure and cognitive function in relation to health behavior and air pollution, as well as other factors affecting resilience against and vulnerability to adverse changes in brain structure and cognitive aging. This study will help inform individuals about personal risk factors and decision-makers about the impact of environmental factors on negative health outcomes and potential underlying biological, behavioral and psychological mechanisms. Challenges and opportunities stemming from the timing of the study that coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic are also discussed.

Introduction: Božena Němcová Adapts into Czech Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy’s “Finette-Cendron”

IntroductionBožena Němcová Adapts into Czech Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy’s “Finette-Cendron” Anne E. Duggan (bio) and Rebecca Cravens (bio) While Charlotte Trinquet du Lys has traced the diffusion of Marie-Catherine d’Aulnoy’s “Finette-Cendron” from France to French Missouri in her fascinating 2007 article that appeared in Marvels & Tales, I followed another path the tale took, this time moving eastward. I was intrigued to uncover another history of the tale, which continues to resonate today, unbeknownst to many folklore and fairy-tale scholars and fairy-tale film enthusiasts. Specifically mentioning “Finette-Cendron,” Dil Prvni claimed in 1902 that French fairy tales traveled from France to Germany to Czechoslovakia (328). Providing further evidence for this theory in 1930, Václav Tille published an overview of Czech versions of d’Aulnoy’s “L’oranger et l’abeille” (“The Bee and the Orange Tree”) and “Finette-Cendron.” He emphasized the important role played by Václav Matěj Kramerius (1753–1808), a Czech publisher and writer who founded the publishing house Czech Dispatch in order to translate and adapt into Czech works “capable of instructing or amusing the lower classes” (Tille 285), and to foster a literary culture at a time when there was not yet an established Czech literary tradition; Kramerius had translated and published a version of d’Aulnoy’s “The Bee and the Orange Tree” in 1794. Citing Josef Jungmann, Tille suggests there may have been in Jindřichův Hradec (southern Bohemia) a translation of “Finette-Cendron” from German into Czech as early as 1761, which was reprinted several times in the nineteenth century. Later, Kramerius’s son, Václav Rodomil Kramerius (1792–1861), produced a Czech version of “Finette-Cendron” in which, according to Tille, the youngest of three daughters, Finette, assisted by the female magician Tamarinde, [End Page 353] manages to kill the ogres and take over their castle, and rides a white horse, gifted by Tamarinde, to the palace, where she meets the prince, Otmar, whom she eventually marries. Tille documents several other oral variants of “Finette-Cendron,” including a Moravian variant published by Matouš Václavek (1842–1908), which includes only the first part of the tale; a version by Václav Popelka in Pohádky z Poličska (Fairy Tales from Policka, 1888), in which the ogress, instead of being fifteen feet wide, has fifteen toes; and another Moravian variant told by the informant Kateřina Vidláková and collected and published by Beneš Method Kulda (1820–1903), in which the wife of the ogre is happy that her husband is killed in the oven, and Finette rides on her white horse to mass instead of a ball. Kram Zuzana Raková maintains that, along with dramatic works by French playwrights like Molière and Marivaux, “French fairy tales, for example Finette Cendron (Pohádka o Popelce [A Fairy Tale about Cinderella]) in the version by Madame d’Aulnoy … represented another source of inspiration for different Czech adaptations and for indigenous literary production, especially in the 1840s” (15). As d’Aulnoy’s tales were circulating throughout Bohemia via German and Czech translations and oral storytelling, Božena Němcová (ca. 1820–62) was coming into her own as a writer. The daughter of a servant and a coachman, and unhappily married to Josef Němec in 1837, Němcová frequented Czech nationalist salons and in this spirit changed her first name from “Barbora,” which comes from the Greek for “foreigner,” to “Božena,” which derives from Slavic roots and importantly can translate as “woman of God” or “blessed by God”; her chosen name thus reinforces her identification with her Slavic heritage.1 Alfred Thomas characterizes Němcová and her works in the following terms: “Influenced by the French novelist George Sand, Božena Němcová was the first feminist writer in Czech literature. But she was also a nationalist writer who believed deeply in the Czech and Slovak right to equal political representation within the Habsburg Empire” (281). Her work collecting tales is thus grounded in the type of nationalist and democratic impulses evident in the oeuvre of the Brothers Grimm, with Němcová specifically identifying as socialist. At...

The Impact of Cesarean and Vaginal Delivery on Results of Psychological Cognitive Test in 5 Year Old Children.

Background and objectives: The impact of cesarean and vaginal delivery on cognitive development was analyzed in 5 year old children. Materials and Methods: Two cohorts of 5 year old children born in the years 2013 and 2014 in Karvina (Northern Moravia) and Ceske Budejovice (Southern Bohemia) were studied for their cognitive development related to vaginal (n = 117) and cesarean types of delivery (n = 51). The Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test (BG test) and the Raven Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM test) were used as psychological tests. Results: In the comparison of vaginal delivery vs. cesarean section, the children delivered by cesarean section scored lower and, therefore, achieved poorer performance in cognitive tests compared to those born by vaginal delivery, as shown in the RCPM (p < 0.001) and in the BG test (p < 0.001). When mothers’ education level was considered, the children whose mothers achieved a university degree scored higher in both the RCPM test (p < 0.001) and the BG test (p < 0.01) compared to the children of mothers with lower secondary education. When comparing mothers with a university degree to those with higher secondary education, there was a significant correlation between level of education and score achieved in the RCPM test (p < 0.001), but not in the BG test. Conclusions: According to our findings, the mode of delivery seems to have a significant influence on performance in psychological cognitive tests in 5 year old children in favor of those who were born by vaginal delivery. Since cesarean-born children scored notably below vaginally born children, it appears possible that cesarean delivery may have a convincingly adverse effect on children’s further cognitive development.

Permian postorogenic dykes in Southern Bohemia: K-Ar dating of the Vimperk porphyries and the Milevsko felsic microgranite (Moldanubian Unit, Czech Republic)

Permian postorogenic dykes in Southern Bohemia: K-Ar dating of the Vimperk porphyries and the Milevsko felsic microgranite (Moldanubian Unit, Czech Republic)