Learn about... Jan Amos Comenius ( ) In the Brethren

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1 In the Pomlčková válka Findings in Přerov, Photograph: CTK / Vladislav Galgonek What is the meaning of the name Amos? In the years 2012 and 2013 interesting evidence about Comenius whereabouts in the school was unearthed during a rescue archaeological survey that had been initiated because of the construction of a new bridge in Přerov, over the Bečva River. Archaeologists discovered there the well-preserved foundations of St. Mark s Church, of the congregation together with adjacent buildings comprising a house and a school that had been built during the second half of the 16th Century. Additionally uncovered between the two buildings was a completely intact original paved lane, a unique example of the craftsmanship of the period. came to Přerov in 1608, as a sixteen-year old, to study Latin at the school. He also returned to the city six years later, after completing his studies in Germany, already as a teacher and a preacher. He also got married in Přerov and adopted his second name, Amos. These findings have been ranked amongst the top three archaeological discoveries that were made in the Czech Republic during 2013.

2 In the Vznik České republiky Comenius map from 1680, based on an earlier engraving from 1627 Where was born? In addition to teaching and writing philosophical and religious tracts also excelled as a cartographer, particularly of his native Moravia. The documentation for the map, originally constituting part of a work about Moravian history, was gathered together over a period of many years. The original drawing has not been preserved, and the work is therefore known from the first printing that was published in Amsterdam in cca During the Thirty Years War this map had considerable military and political significance because, for example, it depicted important fording points across rivers. Because of its accuracy and its wealth of detail it continued to be published, in various forms, for over a century. The map was not published in the Czech lands, however, until 1677, i.e. already after the death of Comenius (1670). As a result of the policies of the counter-reformation his name was not attached to it.

3 In the The Labyrinth of the Čechy World and the Paradise nebo Česko? One of the more than fifty modern editions of the book, from 1985 Who accompanies the Pilgrim through the Labyrinth of the World? Comenius wrote during the period of a difficult life situation following the defeat of the Protestant side in the Battle of the White Mountain in At that time he was in hiding and he lost his entire family who died of the plague. The first version of his manuscript was completed in 1623, but he repeatedly returned to the book and added to it. The primary theme of his manuscript is the meaning of human life. In the first part of the book the Pilgrim (as the narrator) walks around the world accompanied by his two guides, and he is searching for his place in it, but ultimately he comes to the conclusion that this amounts only to vanity and delusion. In the second part he does find the answer through the conversion in his own heart whereby he finds God. The world is portrayed allegorically as a city that resembles a labyrinth. It has a Common Square and six streets, in accordance with the six classes: i.e. the household class (families), artisans, scholars, clergy, rulers and soldiers. Watching over the city is the almost inaccessible Castle of Fortune. In 1957 a copy of Labyrinth that had been revised by Comenius was exchanged with the Polish side for a famous manuscript by Nicolaus Copernicus On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, which Comenius had purchased during the period of his studies in Germany.

4 In the Prezident on the engraving from 1642 by George Glover (who was active between 1625 and 1650) Which Czech song paraphrased Comenius statement? symbolises Czech political exile. As a priest, together with his other co-religionists, he was forced to leave the country in the early part of He was moving about in many countries in Europe - e.g. in Poland, in England, in Hungary, in Sweden and in the Netherlands. The Peace of Westphalia, which, in 1648, brought the long and bloody Thirty Years War to an end, also brought an end to his hopes of returning to his beloved homeland. His reaction to this situation was to become Comenius Testament of the Dying Mother, the Unity of, with its unforgettable timeless statement: and I trust in God that when this storm of anger, brought down on our heads for our own sins, has passed, the government of your affairs will return to thee once again, oh Czech people. The last place in which the Teacher stood on the soil of his homeland was in Růžový palouček (Rose Meadow), near Žacléř and close to the village of Černá Voda at the eastern edge of the Giant Mountains.

5 In the Vláda The Title Page of the Bible of Kralice When was the first volume of the Bible of Kralice printed? Comenius entire life was connected with the Unity of the, which had been founded by the Protestant Church after the Hussite wars. The church was rejected and banned and was persecuted, both by the Catholics and the Calixtins. The Unity of the continued to expand gradually and it gained an influential position. The Czech Bible of Kralice, which had been translated from the original biblical languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek) by translators and theologians belonging to the Unity of, was produced in its printing workshop in Kralice in South Moravia. This represented the first direct Czech translation of the Bible from its original languages. Comenius had studied and taught at schools; he then became a Priest and, in 1632, a Bishop and the secretary of the Church. As the last Bishop of the Unity of he took care of his church up to his last breath. He himself was a deeply religious man, but at the same time he was also tolerant and he sought to reconcile the churches and to help them to reach understanding between each other.

6 In the Parlament What does the expression Opera didactica omnia mean translated into English? Half of Comenius entire works were published in Amsterdam; for example a set of 43 tracts that were published under the title Opera didactica omnia. Today most revolutionary ideas concerning education seem natural to us. In his time, however, they aroused great interest among the influential individuals and the governments that were promoting Comenius and inviting him to implement his ideas in their own countries. For these reasons Comenius lived in England, the Netherlands, Sweden and Hungary. Comenius main didactic requirement was naturalness and the utmost respect for children s development, based on the principle that even the least gifted child can be educated a little. Thereby he created a typology defining the natural mental and character differences that exist between children. His emphasis was on the independent work of the pupils and on utilising illustrative methods both for teaching and for learning. He was also proposing revolutionary changes in regard to the actual organisation of schooling. First he defined the concepts of the school year, school holidays and the school week and then, in addition, of the entire educational system - from preschool through elementary and secondary school and then at university.

7 In the Jürgen Ovens ( ): How many volumes does A General Consultation Concerning the Improvement of Human Affairs comprise? remains one of the most important figures of Czech education. He wrote about 250 works, both long and short. Considered as his most important work is A General Consultation Concerning the Improvement. This text was implemented in the mid-17th Century and Comenius himself considered this work as representing a major breakthrough for the entire world. Comenius raises the relatively simple question What are human affairs?. And he responds that human affairs are those because of which we differ from other creatures. Improvement should therefore primarily be concerned with science (which helps to organise human consciousness) and with policy (implementing human volition) and with religion (supporting human hope). The first two volumes of A General Consultation were published in cca They contained fundamental concepts regarding the harmonising of all knowledge into a single coherent system. After Comenius death the other volumes were lost and they were not rediscovered until the year 1934.

8 In the V Evropské unii The Mausoleum and Museum located in. Photograph: CTK / Milan Syrůček Which Czech Museum actually implemented the Viva Comenius! Exhibition? Comenius spent the last fourteen years of his life in Amsterdam, where he was supported both by the City Council and by the Dutch merchant and industrialist De Geer. It was there that he also died on the 15th of November He was buried in the Walloon church located in nearby, however, until the nineteenth century the place of his final rest disappeared into oblivion. Comenius grave was rediscovered in 1871 by a Notary, J. Ph. De Roeper, but not until July 1929 was it was possible to carry out its surveying. In 1933 the Dutch government decided to rent the former chapel to Czechoslovakia for a symbolic annual rental of one gulden. During the years , the chapel was restored and was both refurbished as a mausoleum and decorated by prominent Czech artists under the supervision of Ladislav Machoň and Stanislav Sochor. The most intensive cooperation between the Czech Republic and the Netherlands took place after The Comenius Museum moved to the building adjacent to the monument and in 2006 the Viva Comenius! Exhibition was officially opened there.