Miroslav Tyrš

Miroslav Tyrš, actually Friedrich Tiersch ( born September 17, 1832 in Decin, Bohemia; † August 8, 1884 at Oetz, Tyrol ) was a Bohemian art critic, art historian and co-founder of the Czech Sokol movement Turner.

Life

Tiersch was the son of a German physician. As a child, he lost both parents and was raised by German relatives in Mladá Boleslav. Since he had mostly Czech playmates in his childhood, he mastered addition to the German and Czech. After visiting the German grammar school in Prague and the Faculty of Philosophy, Charles University, where he studied natural sciences, philosophy and aesthetics, he received his doctorate in 1860 for a Doctor of Philosophy. Tiersch was influenced in his studies from the ideas of the Czech intellectual circles. Because of his health problems Tiersch visited during his studies private gymnastic Malypetrs Institute in Prague, where among other things he had other contacts with public figures Czech life that strove for the revival of the Czech national consciousness. After finishing his studies, he first private teacher and gym instructor in the gym Institute Malypetrs. As his academic career, which he strove unsuccessful, Friedrich Tiersch focused his energy into other fields of activity. Around this period Tiersch began to use the name " Miroslav Tyrš ".

Tyrš became involved in the Czech national movement, which saw a major boom from the 1860s. He pleaded for liberal- democratic flow of Old Czechs. Together with his friend Fügner Jindřich ( Heinrich Fügner ), the father of his future wife he founded in 1862 the Czech National Sokol gymnastic movement. In his book Foundations of Physical Education ( Základový tělocvik ) he created, according to the German model, the Czech terminology for gymnastics and formulated the principles of Sokol. He combined in his ideas physical education with the ancient ideal of kalokagathia and the struggle for progress and freedom of the Czech people. 1871 saw the first issue of the journal Sokol, which was published by Tyrš. He organized public appearances of Turner ( slety ) and organized excursions to wake up with the objective of the national consciousness of the Czechs. The Sokol had bourgeois from the start character. Although the organization for all layers ( only Czech ) was freely accessible, subject organizations rapidly form such as, the Czech workers Turnverein ( Dělnická Tělovýchovná Jednota ), or a Catholic organization turn Orel. In 1869 he was elected for the Young Czechs in the Bohemian diet and 1873 in the Imperial Parliament.

In addition to the political activity of his work is emphasized in the field of aesthetics and the visual arts. He served as a counselor for young artists and generally a great friend of the fine arts. as a literary critic, he promoted the Czech literature and brought them closer to potential readers.

1881 he was appointed lecturer at the Czech Technical University in Prague, Prague, and a year later associate professor at the University of Prague, under the condition that he gave up the employees in Sokol. He was working on a comprehensive book on the history of the visual arts ( Dejiny výtvarných umění ), which was never published.

The artistic and political activity removed him more and more from Sokol. It was only in the seventies he went back stronger the gymnastics club. In 1882 he initiated the first meeting of all the gymnastics teams ( slet ). The selfless work Tyrš weakened, in 1884 went seriously ill for recreation in the Austrian village of Oetz in the Tyrolean Alps. From a walk on August 8, he did not return. His body was found several days later in a mountain river.

Honors

Erected in 1933 Nachfolgerbau the Empress Elisabeth Bridge in his birth city was named after him.