Acta Musealia

The article dedicated to Professional Woodworking School in Valašské Meziříčí focuses on its involvement in relation to preservation of historical monuments in the Wallachia region at the time of Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Chronologically, the researched period is defined by the date of founding the professional school (1874) and the date of disintegration of Austro-Hungarian Monarchy (1918). The research is based, above all, on archival materials of the Central Commission and the Annual Reports of the school. Based on these resources, it was established that the professional school joined the program of preservation of historical monuments primarily thanks to its head teacher, Franz Rosmaël, who was also a conservator of the 2nd section of the Central Commission. Owing to him, also some professional teachers could try the practical side of the specialised field, for instance Josef Steindl or Václav Hofrichter and others. Also followed is the contribution to preservation of the historical monuments by students specialising in church maintenance, joinery, woodcarving or woodworking lathe work in the framework of both theoretical and practical lessons as well as personal activities of the teachers. This topic widens the sphere of research within the scope of professional education.

Keywords: Professional Woodworking School in Valašské Meziříčí, preservation of historical monuments, Franz Rosmaël, Central Commission, Wallachia region