“This is the Unique Capital of the Middle Ages... That Has Survived to Our Time in Comparative Integrity”: Historical Images of Prague Through the Eyes of Russian Émigrés in the 1920s and 1930s

Abstract

In the interwar period of 1920—1930s Prague was a recognized intellectual center of the Russia Abroad. The article analyzes the place occupied by the images of Prague and its historical heritage in the minds of Russian émigrés, how they constructed this images, how it was reflected in memoirs, letters, diaries, periodicals, scientific literature and fiction. The space of Prague was a special cultural text, formed at the intersection of various ethnic, religious and linguistic boundaries. For Russians, it was not just an urban space, but an active participant and witness to the historical process. In this regard, according to émigrés, few European cities could compare with it. The Prague urban space was perceived by Russians as the center of cultural symbols, among which a special place was given to famous architectural monuments — Charles Bridge, Prague Castle and the Church of St. Vitus, medieval streets of Malá Strana, etc. A special place is given to the analysis of the image of the Charles Bridge, which took on various guises. The bridge became an active figure, a practically protagonist of both artistic and scientific reflections. The article analyzes the influence of Prague images on the work of Russian émigrés such as Marina Tsvetaeva, Gleb Struve, Igor Severyanin, Valentin Bulgakov, Antony Florovsky, Sergey Pushkarev, etc. At the same time, it is concluded that, despite the historical charm of Prague recognized by the majority of Russians, a considerable number of émigrés perceived it as a provincial city, inferior to Moscow and St. Petersburg. It is shown that in the émigré intellectual culture there was a contradictory perception of Prague. At the same time, they wrote about it both about the center of the Slavic world, with deep historical roots, and about the cultural province of Europe. Therefore, the image of Prague was complex and contradictory. There is no doubt that the historical images of the Czech capital left a noticeable mark on the intellectual culture of the Russian emigration.